Disparities by Race and Ethnicity in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are less likely than White non-Hispanic patients to receive guideline-recommended percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Research suggests disparities arise before and during STEMI treatment, but it is unclear when the largest disparities in PCI emerge.

To assess when in the care process the largest disparities in PCI receipt occur in patients with STEMI presenting to an emergency department.

This cross-sectional study evaluated adult patients with STEMI presenting to Florida hospitals from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2021. Data were analyzed from June 29, 2023, to May 29, 2025.

Patient race and ethnicity.

The main outcomes were presentation to PCI-capable hospitals, receipt of PCI if initially presenting to PCI-capable hospitals, transfer if initially presenting to non-PCI capable hospitals, and receipt of PCI at receiving hospital if transferred. Logistic regression was used to compare outcomes for patients with STEMI by race and ethnicity, controlling for payer, age, sex, weekend presentation, time of presentation, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics.

Among 139 629 patients with STEMI included in the analysis, 68.81% were male. Mean (SD) age was 64.4 (13.0) years. A total of 9.09% identified as Black, 15.17% as Hispanic, 70.56% as White, and 5.17% as other or missing race. In adjusted analyses, Black (-1.8 [95% CI, -2.6 to 1.1] percentage points [pp]) and Hispanic (-3.1 [95% CI, -3.7 to -2.4] pp) patients were less likely than White patients to present to PCI-capable hospitals (P < .001 for both). Among patients initially presenting to PCI-capable hospitals, Black patients were less likely to receive PCI than White patients (-8.6 [95% CI, -9.5 to -7.7] pp; P < .001). Among patients initially presenting to non-PCI-capable hospitals, Black (-4.0 [95% CI, -6.4 to -1.5] pp; P = .001) and Hispanic (-4.2 [95% CI, -6.3 to -2.0] pp; P < .001) patients were less likely to be transferred than White patients. Among transferred patients, Black patients were less likely to undergo PCI at the receiving hospital than White patients (-13.3 [95% CI, -16.6 to -9.9] pp; P < .001).

In this cross-sectional study examining racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of PCI for patients with STEMI, racial and ethnic disparities persisted throughout the care process. The largest magnitude of disparity was PCI receipt if transferred, but the disparity with the largest impact was PCI receipt when initially presenting to PCI-capable hospitals.