A new study has revealed that one in five older adults got infections after heart surgery.
According to Science Daily, studies led by Michigan Medicine found that 20% of the seniors got an infection up to six months after heart surgery.
The researchers looked at the data of thousands of older patients on Medicare who had undergone heart bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting) or aortic valve replacement and noted that compared to men, women have a 60% higher risk of getting an infection after surgery.
Moreover, Black patients have a higher rate of infection, 28%, as compared to white patients, 19.2%.
The findings of the study published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery found that the common infections among heart surgery patients were urinary tract infections (UTIs), pneumonia, and sepsis.
The first author of the study, J'undra N. Pegues, said, “Our investigations highlight persistent disparities in outcomes for patients undergoing cardiac surgery that will require multidisciplinary efforts to correct.”
Furthermore, a study in Michigan hospitals found that about 21% of patients got an infection within 6 months of surgery. The most common infections were UTIs and pneumonia, which were reported by 17% of all patients.
Notably, some hospitals had infection rates that were 40% higher than others.
