The Association Between Socioeconomic Standing and Surgical Outcomes of Cardiac Surgical Procedures: A Literature Review

Surgery is one of the most common treatments offered in the United States, and some of the most commonly performed procedures are cardiac procedures such as CABGs, valve replacements, and PCI. Even though surgical training and technological advancements have made surgical procedures much safer, when looking at cardiac surgery procedures, there is a greater association between socioeconomic status (SES) and negative post-surgical outcomes. The purpose of the study is to determine whether or not SES affects the postop complication, readmission, and mortality rate in CABG, PCI, and valve replacement surgeries. After a thorough literature search of several databases we concluded that though more data needs to be collected on the specific effects of SES on post-surgical outcomes in PCI and valve repair procedures, it can be said that SES does impact the mortality, readmission, and complication rates of patients post cardiac surgery. We also recommend that future studies on this topic could investigate the effects of proper secondary prevention through medication distribution in patient groups of various socioeconomic statuses.