Association of Patient Race and Hospital with Utilization of Regional Anesthesia for Treatment of Postoperative Pain in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Analysis Using Medicare Claims
Authors' conclusion
Race was not associated with administration of regional anesthesia in Medicare patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty. Variation in the use of regional anesthesia was primarily associated with the hospital where surgery occurred.
Study context
- Population
- Medicare patients aged 65 yr or older undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty, 2011–2016
- Participants
- 733,406 patients · 2,507 hospitals
- Exposure
- Black vs White
- Outcome
- Administration of RA for postoperative pain (any peripheral or neuraxial block)
Methodological detailsMedicare fee-for-service claims, adjusted analysis
- Medicare fee-for-service claims
- Adjusted analysis
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
RA administration (adjusted estimates)
P = 0.132
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Hospital-level prevalence of RA use
- Median hospital-level prevalence (IQR 18 to 79%)
- 51%
Variation in block administration (analysis of variance)
- Attributable to hospital
- 42.0%
- Attributable to race
- less than 0.01%
- After adjusting for other patient-level confounders
Sensitivity analyses
- Findings robust to alternate specifications of the exposure and outcome
Original publication
Association of Patient Race and Hospital with Utilization of Regional Anesthesia for Treatment of Postoperative Pain in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Analysis Using Medicare Claims. Anesthesiology. Published 1 November 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →