Ethnicity Is Associated With Differing Presentation and Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Aortic Valve Replacement for Calcific Aortic Stenosis in Aotearoa New Zealand

• Published in: Heart, lung & circulation lung & circulation, 2023-12, Vol.32 (12), p.1512-1519
• Main Authors: Sugunesegran, Ramanen, Harrison, Sally, Parry, Dominic, Sneddon, Katherine, de Lange, Michel, Galvin, Sean, Stewart, Ralph, Wong, Bernard, Whalley, Gillian, Davis, Philip, Coffey, Sean
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aortic stenosis; Aortic valve replacement; Ethnicity; New Zealand; Surgery
• ISSN: 1443-9506; 1444-2892
• DOI: 10.1016/j.hlc.2023.08.016

Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) has been the gold standard for treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS) for decades. We examined whether ethnic differences exist in the presentation and outcomes of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) for AS in New Zealand. Patients of New Zealand European, Māori, and Pacific Island ethnicities undergoing SAVR with or without other procedures in New Zealand public hospitals from 2017 to 2019 were included. Major postoperative outcomes were compared between ethnic groups, with 30-day mortality being the primary outcome. A total of 1,175 patients were included: 1,085 European, 50 Māori, and 40 Pacific. The mean age was 71.1±9.4 years, and men accounted for more than half of all patients (69.9%). Māori (64.7±9.4 years) and Pacific (65.4±10.1 years) patients were younger when undergoing SAVR compared with European patients (71.7±9.2; analysis of variance p