Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Patients.
| Characteristic | Patients, % | Proportion Difference (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All (N = 126 766) | Postoperative Hypocalcemia 30-d Initial Treatment Period | |||
| Present (n = 24 159) | Absent (n = 102 607) | |||
| Pathologic finding | ||||
| Nodule | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | −0.4 (−1.7 to 1.0) |
| Goiter | 37.8 | 33.1 | 38.9 | −5.8 (−6.9 to −4.7) |
| Thyroiditis | 10.5 | 11.8 | 10.2 | 1.5 (0.2 to 2.8) |
| Cancer | 50.2 | 53.9 | 49.3 | 4.6 (3.6 to 5.6) |
| Age, y | ||||
| 18-39 | 29.4 | 33.8 | 28.4 | 5.4 (4.2 to 6.5) |
| 40-64 | 70.6 | 66.2 | 71.6 | −5.4 (−6.2 to −4.6) |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 18.4 | 14.9 | 19.2 | −3.4 (−5.6 to −3.1) |
| Female | 81.6 | 85.1 | 80.8 | 4.3 (3.8 to 4.9) |
| Comorbidity score | ||||
| 0 | 93.0 | 91.8 | 93.3 | −1.6 (−2.0 to −1.1) |
| 1 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 5.7 | 1.2 (−0.2 to 2.5) |
| 2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.3 (−1.1 to 1.7) |
| ≥3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 (−1.3 to 1.5) |
| Procedure location | ||||
| Inpatient | 33.8 | 40.0 | 32.3 | 7.6 (6.8 to 8.5) |
| Outpatient | 66.2 | 60.0 | 67.7 | −7.6 (−8.7 to −6.5) |
| Region | ||||
| Northeast | 21.6 | 21.1 | 21.7 | −0.6 (−1.8 to 0.7) |
| North central | 21.1 | 21.8 | 20.9 | 0.9 (−0.4 to 2.1) |
| South | 39.4 | 38.9 | 39.6 | −0.6 (−1.7 to 0.5) |
| West | 17.9 | 18.1 | 17.8 | 0.3 (−0.1 to 1.5) |
| Census median income quintilea | ||||
| Very low | 19.9 | 18.7 | 20.2 | −1.5 (−2.8 to −0.1) |
| Low | 20.1 | 22.2 | 19.6 | 2.6 (1.2 to 3.9) |
| Medium | 20.0 | 20.9 | 19.8 | 1.1 (−0.2 to 2.5) |
| High | 19.7 | 20.1 | 19.6 | 0.5 (−0.9 to 1.8) |
| Very high | 20.3 | 18.1 | 20.8 | −2.7 (−4.1 to −1.3) |
| Payera | ||||
| Comprehensive | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0 (−1.5 to 1.5) |
| HMO | 16.0 | 14.0 | 16.4 | −2.4 (−3.7 to −1.0) |
| POS | 8.3 | 6.8 | 8.6 | −1.8 (−3.3 to −0.5) |
| PPO | 66.3 | 69.3 | 65.6 | 3.7 (2.9 to 4.5) |
| Other | 7.4 | 7.8 | 7.3 | 0.5 (−0.9 to 1.9) |
| MSA volumea | ||||
| Low | 33.8 | 33.6 | 33.8 | −0.2 (−1.5 to 0.1) |
| Medium | 34.0 | 33.8 | 34.1 | −0.3 (−1.5 to 0.1) |
| High | 32.2 | 32.6 | 21.1 | 0.5 (−0.7 to 1.7) |
| Central neck dissection | ||||
| Yes | 15.9 | 19.1 | 15.1 | 4.0 (2.7 to 5.2) |
| No | 84.1 | 80.9 | 84.9 | −4.0 (−4.5 to −3.3) |
| Lateral neck dissection | ||||
| Yes | 6.9 | 10.1 | 6.2 | 3.9 (2.6 to 5.2) |
| No | 93.1 | 89.9 | 93.8 | −3.9 (−4.4 to −3.5) |
| Parathyroid reimplantation | ||||
| Yes | 10.1 | 14.5 | 9.0 | 5.5 (4.1 to 6.8) |
| No | 89.9 | 85.5 | 91.0 | −5.5 (−5.9 to −4.9) |
| Postoperative radiotherapy | ||||
| Yes | 6.5 | 7.6 | 6.2 | 1.4 (0.1 to 2.8) |
| No | 93.5 | 92.4 | 93.8 | −1.4 (−1.8 to −1.1) |
| Postoperative radioactive iodine | ||||
| Yes | 29.0 | 32.9 | 28.1 | 4.8 (3.6 to 5.9) |
| No | 71.0 | 67.1 | 71.9 | −4.8 (−5.5 to −3.9) |
| RLN injury | ||||
| Yes | 2.2 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 1.2 (−0.2 to 2.5) |
| No | 97.8 | 96.8 | 98.0 | −1.2 (−1.4 to −0.9) |
| Vitamin D deficiency | ||||
| Yes | 3.7 | 6.4 | 3.1 | 3.3 (2.9 to 4.7) |
| No | 96.3 | 93.6 | 96.9 | −3.3 (−3.7 to −2.9) |
| Menopause | ||||
| Yes | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 (−2.3 to 1.5) |
| No | 99.1 | 99.0 | 99.1 | −0.1 (−0.2 to 0) |
| Magnesium disorder | ||||
| Yes | 2.1 | 7.4 | 0.8 | 6.6 (5.2 to 7.9) |
| No | 97.9 | 92.6 | 99.2 | −6.6 (−6.9 to −6.2) |
| Phosphate disorder | ||||
| Yes | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 1.1 (−0.2 to 2.5) |
| No | 99.7 | 98.8 | 99.9 | −1.1 (−1.3 to −1.0) |
| Disposition | ||||
| Routine | 32.1 | 37.9 | 30.7 | 7.2 (6.0 to 8.3) |
| Short-term hospital | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | |
| Other facility | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | |
| Home health care | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 (−1.10 to 1.7) |
| Left against medical advice | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 (−0.5 to 0.7) |
| Died in hospital | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | |
| Alive, destination unknown | 67.3 | 61.2 | 68.7 | −7.6 (−8.4 to −6.7) |
| Readmission within 30 d | ||||
| Yes | 3.9 | 11.1 | 2.3 | 8.8 (7.4 to 10.2) |
| No | 96.1 | 88.9 | 97.7 | −8.8 (−9.2 to −8.4) |
Abbreviations: HMO, health maintenance organization; MSA, metropolitan statistical area; POS, point of service; PPO, preferred provider organization; RLN, recurrent laryngeal nerve.
a
Not known for all patients.