Women’s mortality rates differ from men’s at U.S. Hospitals

Women and men experience different outcomes at U.S. hospitals for the same procedures and treatments.   Women’s outcomes also varied among hospitals. Top-performing hospitals had mortality rates for women that were 40.5% lower than the category of poorest performing hospitals, and complication rates for women that were 19.1% lower than the poorest performers.

According to a study by HealthGrades, women had a higher risk of mortality in three cardiovascular procedures:

• valve-replacement surgery (52.8% higher risk)
• coronary bypass surgery (36.6% higher risk)
• coronary interventional procedures (19.5% higher risk)
• Women also had a 5.8% higher risk of dying after a stroke

 However, women had a better chance of surviving hospitalization than men for the following procedures and treatments:

• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (16.4% lower risk)
• heart failure (12.8% lower risk)
• pneumonia (10.6% lower risk)
• heart attack (2.4% lower risk)

(Sources: HealthGrades, http://healthgrades.com, April 21, 2010)