To examine practice patterns in the surgical treatment of mild and moderate biliary pancreatitis, focusing on racial disparities in same-admission cholecystectomy (SAC) rates.
Approach:
Study Design: Retrospective observational cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample (HCUP NIS) from January 2016 to December 2021.
Patient Selection: Included adults aged 18 and older with acute biliary pancreatitis, excluding those with severe pancreatitis based on a modified BISAP score.
Data Analysis: Compared baseline characteristics and outcomes between patients undergoing SAC and those not undergoing SAC using statistical methods including Chi-square tests and Cox regression.
Key Findings:
Out of 482,705 patients with mild or moderate biliary pancreatitis, 59% underwent SAC.
SAC recipients were younger, more frequently female, and more often Hispanic compared to the no-SAC group.
Significant differences in SAC rates were observed based on hospital location, region, teaching status, insurance payer, and income quartile, with p-values indicating statistical significance.
Interpretation:
The study highlights disparities in SAC rates among different racial and demographic groups.
Limitations:
The study is retrospective and may be subject to biases inherent in observational data.
Data were limited to the HCUP NIS, which may not capture all relevant clinical variables.
Conclusion:
The findings indicate disparities in surgical treatment for biliary pancreatitis.
