Racial Variations in Pain Management and Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients With Acute Pancreatitis

ObjectivesAcute pancreatitis (AP) is a common cause of hospitalization. Black AP patients have higher risk for alcoholic etiology and hospitalization than White patients. We evaluated outcomes and treatment disparities by race in hospitalized AP patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed Black and White AP patients admitted 2008-2018. Primary outcomes were length of stay, intensive care unit admission, 30-day readmissions, and mortality. Secondary outcomes included pain scores, opioid dosing, and complications.ResultsWe identified 630 White and 186 Black AP patients. Alcoholic AP (P < 0.001), tobacco use (P = 0.013), and alcohol withdrawal (P < 0.001) were more common among Blacks. There were no differences in length of stay (P = 0.113), intensive care unit stay (P = 0.316), 30-day readmissions (P = 0.797), inpatient (P = 0.718) or 1-year (P = 0.071) mortality, complications (P = 0.080), or initial (P = 0.851) and discharge pain scores (P = 0.116). Discharge opioids were prescribed more frequently for Whites (P = 0.001).ConclusionsHospitalized Black and White AP patients had similar treatment and outcomes. Standardized protocols used to manage care may eliminate racial biases. Disparities in discharge opioid prescriptions may be explained by higher alcohol and tobacco use by Black patients.