Sociodemographic Disparities and Postoperative Outcomes Following Cranial Vault Remodeling for Craniosynostosis: Analysis of the 2012 to 2021 NSQIP-Pediatric Database

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess whether race and ethnicity are independent predictors of inferior postoperative clinical outcomes, including increased complication rates, extended length of stay (LOS), and unplanned 30-day readmission following cranial vault repair for craniosynostosis. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Pediatric database. Pediatric patients under 2 years of age undergoing cranial vault repair for craniosynostosis between 2012 and 2021 were identified using the International Classification of Diseases-9/10 and Current Procedural Terminology codes. Patients were dichotomized into 4 cohorts: non-Hispanic White (NHW), non-Hispanic Black (NHB), Hispanic, and other. Only patients with available race and ethnicity data were included in this study. Patient demographics, comorbidities, surgical variables, postoperative adverse events, and hospital resource utilization were assessed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the impact of race on complications, extended LOS, and unplanned readmissions. Results: In our cohort of 7764 patients, 72.80% were NHW, 8.44% were NHB, 15.10% were Hispanic, and 3.67% were categorized as "other." Age was significantly different between the 4 cohorts (P<0.001); NHB patients were the oldest, with an average age of 327.69 +/- 174.57 days old. Non-Hispanic White experienced the least adverse events while NHB experienced the most (P=0.01). Total operative time and hospital LOS were shorter for NHW patients (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively). Rates of unplanned 30-day readmission, unplanned reoperation, and 30-day mortality did not differ significantly between the 4 cohorts. On multivariate analysis, race was found to be an independent predictor of extended LOS [NHB: adjusted odds ratio: 1.30 (1.04-1.62), P=0.021; other: 2.28 (1.69-3.04), P=0.005], but not of complications or readmission. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that racial and ethnic disparities exist among patients undergoing cranial vault reconstruction for craniosynostosis. These disparities, in part, may be due to delayed age of presentation among non-Hispanic, non-White patients. Further investigations to elucidate the underlying causes of these disparities are necessary to address gaps in access to care and provide equitable health care to at-risk populations.