Other research has found that to be true of black adults, she added.
Difficulty getting health care at all could be a factor, too — whether that’s because of money or because the nearest hospital is an hour away, she said.
“This study is a starting point,” said Heard-Garris, who wrote an editorial published online with the findings Jan. 10 in the journal Pediatrics.
Now researchers need to figure out the reasons behind the disparity, she said.
The study results are based on a national database with information on pediatric surgeries at dozens of U.S. hospitals. Akbilgic’s team looked at outcomes of over 183,000 surgeries performed between 2012 and 2014.
In general, the study found, black children and teenagers were more likely to have certain conditions or complications that raised their risk of dying after surgery.
In the study, just over 6 percent had a blood disorder, like hemophilia, versus just under 3 percent of white children. And over 4 percent needed to be placed on a ventilator after surgery, compared with 2.5 percent of white children.
But, the researchers found, it wasn’t just a matter of black kids having more risk factors. Some risk factors also appeared to be more deadly for black children than for white children.
For example, when black children ended up on a ventilator, their risk of dying was over 10 percent. When that happened to white children, the risk of death was roughly 7 percent.
Akbilgic said he and his colleagues will now try to dig into the social factors that might be at work.
“For example,” he said, “it’s worth investigating whether the higher prevalence of ventilator dependency or oxygen support is associated with the air and housing quality of children’s neighborhoods.”
For now, Heard-Garris encouraged parents to ask questions if they are told their child should have surgery.
Besides seeking a second opinion, she said, parents can try to learn more about the surgeon’s and hospital’s experience.
“You can ask, ‘How many of these surgeries have you done in the last year?’ And, ‘How many has this hospital performed?’ ” Heard-Garris said.
Minority patients can be particularly hesitant to question doctors, Heard-Garris noted. But if anything, she said, the new findings should help parents “feel empowered” to ask questions