Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population stratified by PEG status.
| Characteristics | No PEG (n=45,482) | PEG (n=4,464) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age – years: median (IQR) | 73 (59-82) | 68 (56-79) | <0.001 |
| Male – n (%) | 22,319 (49.1) | 2,466 (55.2) | <0.001 |
| Race – n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| White | 30,167 (66.3) | 2,359 (52.8) | |
| Black | 7,369 (16.2) | 1,123 (25.2) | |
| Hispanic | 4,187 (9.2) | 479 (10.7) | |
| Asian or Pacific Islander | 2,074 (4.6) | 281 (6.3) | |
| Other | 1,685 (3.7) | 222 (5.0) | |
| Primary expected payer – n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Private Insurance | 9,071 (19.9) | 872 (19.5) | |
| Medicare | 28,165 (61.9) | 2,518 (56.4) | |
| Medicaid | 3,737 (8.2) | 697 (15.6) | |
| Self-pay | 3,055 (6.7) | 252 (5.7) | |
| Median household income for patient's ZIP code: quartiles – n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Quartile 1 | 13,032 (28.6) | 1,524 (34.1) | |
| Quartile 2 | 11,374 (25.0) | 1,072 (24.0) | |
| Quartile 3 | 10,632 (23.4) | 963 (21.6) | |
| Quartile 4 | 10,444 (23.0) | 905 (20.3) | |
| Hospital geographic region – n (%) | 0.001 | ||
| Northeast | 9,064 (19.9) | 867 (19.4) | |
| Midwest | 6,804 (15.0) | 659 (14.8) | |
| South | 18,953 (41.7) | 1,987 (44.5) | |
| West | 10,661 (23.4) | 951 (21.3) | |
| Hospital location – n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Rural | 2,693 (5.9) | 121 (2.7) | |
| Urban | 42,080 (92.5) | 4,260 (95.4) | |
| Teaching Hospital – n (%) | 26,261 (57.7) | 2,895 (64.9) | <0.001 |
| Hospital bed size – n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Small/Medium | 12,637 (27.8) | 1,105 (24.8) | |
| Large | 32,136 (70.7) | 3,276 (73.4) | |
| Hospital ICH case volume (cases/yr) | <0.001 | ||
| Quartile 1 (≤26) | 12,077 (26.6) | 780 (17.5) | |
| Quartile 2 (27-49) | 11,069 (24.3) | 1,095 (24.5) | |
| Quartile 3 (50-89) | 11,221 (24.7) | 1,286 (28.8) | |
| Quartile 4 (≥90) | 11,115 (24.4) | 1,303 (29.2) | |
| Charlson comorbidity index | <0.001 | ||
| 1 | 16,378 (36.0) | 914 (20.5) | |
| 2 | 9,242 (20.3) | 622 (13.9) | |
| 3 | 9,841 (21.6) | 1,443 (32.3) | |
| ≥4 | 10,021 (22.0) | 1,485 (33.3) | |
| Hypertension – n (%) | 36,994 (81.3) | 3,714 (83.2) | 0.002 |
| Diabetes Mellitus – n (%) | 12,157 (26.7) | 1,428 (32.0) | <0.001 |
| Dyslipidemia – n (%) | 14,258 (31.4) | 1,130 (25.3) | <0.001 |
| Coronary artery disease – n (%) | 5,589 (12.3) | 436 (9.8) | <0.001 |
| Congestive heart failure – n (%) | 4,720 (10.4) | 545 (12.2) | <0.001 |
| Atrial fibrillation – n (%) | 8,577 (18.9) | 831 (18.6) | 0.693 |
| Valvular disease – n (%) | 2,578 (5.7) | 224 (5.0) | 0.072 |
| Anemia – n (%) | 5,593 (12.3) | 1,069 (24.0) | <0.001 |
| Thrombocytopenia – n (%) | 1,431 (3.2) | 200 (4.5) | <0.001 |
| Alcohol abuse – n (%) | 2,687 (5.9) | 323 (7.2) | <0.001 |
| Drug abuse – n (%) | 1,578 (3.5) | 206 (4.6) | <0.001 |
| Chronic kidney disease – n (%) | 5,320 (11.7) | 630 (14.1) | <0.001 |
| Transfusion of blood products – n (%) | 5,654 (12.4) | 920 (20.6) | <0.001 |
| Cerebral angiogram – n (%) | 3,149 (6.9) | 328 (7.4) | 0.288 |
| Craniotomy – n (%) | 268 (0.6) | 94 (2.1) | <0.001 |
| Craniectomy – n (%) | 109 (0.2) | 61 (1.4) | <0.001 |
| Hydrocephalus – n (%) | 4,012 (8.8) | 941 (21.1) | <0.001 |
| APR-DRG: loss of function | <0.001 | ||
| Minor | 3,792 (8.3) | 12 (0.3) | |
| Moderate | 15,273 (33.6) | 150 (3.4) | |
| Major | 17,380 (38.2) | 1,338 (30.0) | |
| Extreme | 9,035 (19.9) | 2,964 (66.4) | |
| Length of stay – days: median (IQR) | 4 (2-8) | 19 (13-29) | <0.001 |
| Withdrawal of care | 5,226 (11.5) | 177 (4.0) | <0.001 |
| Discharge disposition – n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Home | 9,582 (21.1) | 171 (3.8) | |
| Rehabilitation or nursing facility | 18,723 (41.2) | 3,780 (84.7) | |
| Home health care | 3,641 (8.0) | 155 (3.5) | |
| In hospital death | 13,202 (29.0) | 328 (7.4) |
APR-DRG: all patient refined diagnosis-related group; ICH: intracerebral hemorrhage; PEG: percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. P-values compare patients with and without PEG.