Patients' race linked to prostate surgery quality

Based on data collected from hospitals in three states, black men who had their prostates removed were more likely to need blood transfusions, stay in the hospital longer and die while hospitalized compared to white men. They also had lower quality of care, the research suggested. Compared to whites, black men were 27 percent less likely to have their surgery at a hospital that routinely removes prostates and 33 percent less likely to be seen by a surgeon experienced in the procedure. Dr. Daniel Barocas is the study's lead author and an assistant professor of urologic surgery at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.