Table 1

Baseline characteristics of patients >18 years undergoing major cancer surgery, Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 1999–2009

VariablesBaseline characteristics
Overall (%)Without PSI event (%)With PSI event (%)p Value
Weighted number of patients2 508 9172 184 065 (87.1)324 852 (12.9)
Age (years)
 Mean (SD)65.9 (11.7)65.4 (11.6)69.5 (11.7)<0.001†
 Median (IQR)66 (5874)65 (5773)71 (6278)
Gender
 Male1 511 361 (60.3)1 331 716 (61.1)179 645 (55.3)<0.001*
 Female993 704 (39.7)848 527 (38.9)145 177 (44.7)
Race
 Caucasian1 525 021 (60.8)1 324 373 (60.6)200 648 (61.8)<0.001*
 Black177 986 (7.1)154 028 (7.1)23 958 (7.4)
 Hispanic98 532 (3.9)86 128 (3.9)12 404 (3.8)
 Other93 041 (3.7)81 492 (3.6)11 549 (3.6)
 Unknown614 337 (24.5)76 293 (23.5)76 293 (23.5)
CCI
 01 566 723 (62.4)1 412 545 (64.7)154 178 (47.5)<0.001*
 1623 985 (24.9)516 640 (23.7)107 345 (33.0)
 2127 538 (5.1)102 276 (4.7)25 262 (7.8)
 ≥3190 670 (7.6)152 603 (7.0)38 067 (11.7)
Insurance status
 Private1 057 919 (42.2)968 015 (44.3)89 904 (27.7)<0.001*
 Medicaid80 666 (3.2)66 947 (3.1)13 719 (4.2)
 Medicare1 265 920 (50.5)1 056 618 (48.4)209 302 (64.4)
 Other104 412 (4.2)92 485 (4.2)11 927 (3.7)
Median household income by ZIP code
 1–24 999369 796 (14.7)313 652 (14.4)56 144 (17.3)<0.001*
 25 000–34 999596 202 (23.8)513 758 (23.5)82 444 (25.4)
 35 000–44 999646 869 (25.8)563 398 (25.8)83 471 (25.7)
 45 000+842 375 (33.6)746 499 (34.2)95 876 (29.5)
 Unknown53 672 (2.1)46 757 (2.1)6915 (2.1)
Annual hospital volume
 1st quartile591 675 (23.6)510 024 (23.4)81 651 (25.1)<0.001*
 2nd quartile640 229 (25.5)551 980 (25.3)88 249 (27.2)
 3rd quartile636 482 (25.4)554 325 (25.4)82 157 (25.3)
 4th quartile640 531 (25.5)567 737 (26.0)72 794 (22.4)
Hospital location
 Rural268 349 (10.7)235 606 (10.8)32 743 (10.1)<0.001*
 Urban2 239 651 (89.3)1 947 705 (89.2)291 946 (89.9)
Hospital region
 Northeast526 593 (21.)458 684 (21.0)67 909 (20.9)<0.001*
 Midwest608 988 (24.3)532 951 (24.4)76 037 (23.4)
 South8 822 566 (35.2)762 212 (34.9)120 354 (37.0)
 West490 770 (19.6)430 218 (19.7)60 552 (18.6)
Hospital teaching status
 Non-teaching1 135 065 (45.3)979 636 (44.9)155 429 (47.9)<0.001*
 Teaching1 372 935 (54.7)1 203 675 (55.1)169 260 (52.1)
  • *A chi-square test was performed.

  • †A Mann-Whitney test was performed.

  • CCI, Charlson Comorbidity index; PSI, Patient Safety Indicator.