May 17, 2021
The Ottawa-led study found that Indigenous patients had a 30 per cent higher death rate after surgery than non-Indigenous patients.
Indigenous patients are more likely to die following an operation than other Canadians, and less likely to obtain the surgery they need to fix faulty hearts, transplant failing organs or replace aching joints, a new study shows.
The Ottawa-led study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that Indigenous patients had a 30 per cent higher death rate after surgery than non-Indigenous patients.
In addition, Indigenous patients were more likely to suffer serious post-operative complications, such as pneumonia.