Outcomes of Medicare patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in 1986 and 1987 were evaluated in this study. Black patients had a slightly higher rate of dying during index hospitalization for bypass surgery (7.1% of blacks versus 5.1% of whites died) but not for angioplasty (2.5% of blacks versus 2.9% of whites died). The 1-year mortality was significantly higher for blacks following both procedures. These rates were age and sex adjusted.

With regard to rehospitalization, black patients were significantly more likely to be rehospitalized following bypass surgery (816 rehospitalizations /1000 discharges for blacks versus 626/1000 for whites) but not following angioplasty (908/1000 for blacks versus 862/1000 for whites). However, among patients initially hospitalized for angioplasty, the rehospitalization rate for subsequent bypass surgery was twice as high for whites as for blacks (62/1000 for whites versus 34/1000 for blacks). These rates were age and sex adjusted.

Noting the racial patterns of lower use of bypass surgery following angioplasty for blacks, the authors acknowledge that they lacked data to examine whether these rates could be explained by differing clinical characteristics. They conclude “they (these data) are in line with the studies cited and raise the question of the role of patient preference and physician perceptions in these differences.”