Outcomes After Damage Control Laparotomy Among White, American Indian, and Alaska Native Populations

BackgroundAmerican Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations have been shown to have severe health disparities, with increased 30-day mortality rates and surgical complications. They continue to represent a population that has the worst outcomes, however, still underrepresented within the medical literature. Further research into AIAN is critical to start to determine why these differences exist.MethodsA retrospective review of patients undergoing damage control laparotomies (DCLs) between 2015 and 2024 was conducted. Logistic regression was used to compare variables (age, race, gender, ASA, APACHE II, ICU admission, ventilation, number of operations, and time until abdominal closure).ResultsA total of 502 patients were included in the analysis. 10% of these were AIAN. The AIANs undergoing DCL had a mean age of 47.5 years, whereas White patients had a mean age of 62.1 years (P < 0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences in mortality rates. Non-mortality complications were equally distributed between the 2 groups. Logistic regression analysis identified age, APACHE II score, and procedure count as significant predictors of mortality.ConclusionsAmerican Indians are presenting at notably younger ages compared to their White counterparts (62 vs 48 years old). Despite comparable outcomes between the groups, this highlights a distinct age-related gap within our AIAN population, underscoring the necessity for heightened care in this specific patient demographic.