30-and 90-day readmissions in lumbar spine surgery. Differences in prevalence and causes.

BACKGROUND: The morbidity associated with surgical treatment of lumbar degenerative conditions has attracted increasing interest due to the economic impact on society, especially postoperative readmission. Limited studies have assessed this risk in a prospective, single-center consecutive fashion. OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and causes of 30- and 90-day unplanned readmission and revision surgery following surgical treatment for lumbar degenerative spine conditions at a tertiary treatment center. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, single-center cohort study. METHODS: All patients undergoing degenerative lumbar spine surgery in a 1-year period from February 1st, 2016, were prospectively included. Patient characteristics, surgical information and information regarding postoperative complications, including readmission (30- and 90-days) and revision surgery were recorded. Readmissions were classified according to whether they were due to the surgical intervention specifically, or a medical complication. RESULTS: A total of 1399 patients underwent surgery for various lumbar degenerative pathologies in the study period and all were included. Of these, 9.4% (n = 132) were readmitted within 30 days of surgery and in some cases, multiple readmissions occurred (up to 3). The total 90-day readmission rate was 17.6%. Of these, 15% were related to the surgical procedure. The predominant medical related causes were systemic infection (30-day: 14.4%, 90-day: 10.7%), neurological symptoms (30-day: 6.3%, 90-day: 5.0%) and cardiovascular events (30-day: 8.1%, 90-day: 12.9%). The surgical related causes for readmission were pain (30-day: 13.1%, 90-day: 2.9%), wound complications (30-day: 11.3%, 90-day: 5.0% and re-herniation (30-day: 13.1%, 90-day: 2.9%). Age was the only factor with significant influence on readmission. CONCLUSION: The incidence of medical conditions causing unplanned 30-day readmissions following surgery for lumbar degenerative conditions, is significantly higher compared to readmissions related specifically to the surgical procedure. Examples of medical treatment included antibiotics, analgesics, laxatives, anticoagulants and beta blockers. The difference is even more pronounced for the 90-day readmissions. The predominant medical causes were systemic infections, neurological and cardiovascular events. Predominant causes related to the surgery were pain, wound complications and re-herniations. Readmissions may be reduced by optimizing the medical treatment and the pain management before discharge of the patient.

Age and BMI equal Modified Frailty Index, Modified Charlson Comorbidity Index and ASA in predicting adverse events in spinal surgery for cervical degenerative diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To compare Modified Frailty Index (mFI), Modified Charlson Comorbidity (mCCI) and ASA with demographic data such as age, BMI and gender in the prediction of AEs obtained using a validated systematic reporting system in a prospective cohort undergoing cervical spine surgery. METHODS: All adult patients undergoing spine surgery for cervical degenerative disease at our academic tertiary referral center from February 1, 2016, to January 31, 2017, were included. Morbidity and mortality were determined according to the predefined adverse event (AE) variables using the Spinal Adverse Events Severity (SAVES) System. Area under the curve (AUC) analyses from receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were used to assess the discriminative ability in predicting AEs for the comorbidity indices mFI, mCCI, ASA and for BMI, age and gender. RESULTS: A total of 288 consecutive cervical cases were included. BMI was the most predictive demographic factor for an AE (AUC = 0.58), the most predictive comorbidity index was mCCI (AUC = 0.52). No combination of comorbidity indices or demographic factors reached a threshold of AUC ≥ 0.7 for AEs. As predictor of extended length of stay: age (AUC = 0.77), mFI (AUC = 0.70) and ASA (AUC = 0.70) were similar and fair. CONCLUSION: Age and BMI equal mFI, mCCI and ASA in predicting postoperative AEs, amongst patients operated for cervical degenerative disease. No significant difference was found between mFI, mCCI and ASA in the discriminative abilities in predicting morbidity, based on prospectively collected AEs according to the SAVES grading system.

The impact of specialised treatment of low back pain on health care costs and productivity in a nationwide cohort.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain (LBP) is the most common diagnosis responsible for sick leave, long-term disability payments, and early retirements. Studies have suggested that the relatively small proportion of patients referred to a specialist for treatment, either conservative or surgical, accounts for most of the total costs of back pain. However, a complete and long-term picture of the socioeconomic burden associated with these two treatment regimens is lacking. METHODS: From a cohort encompassing the entire population in Denmark (5.8 million inhabitants), we identified patients with LBP referred to specialised treatment, either conservative or surgical, during 2007-2016. According to treatment modality, two different cohorts were constructed. Each patient was matched with ten background population controls based on age, sex, region of residency and time of treatment (month and year). Using extensive, nationwide register data, the healthcare costs and loss of productivity from two years before the first intervention until 2018 was investigated. FINDINGS: A total of 56,694 patients underwent surgical treatment, and 72,915 patients conservative treatment. Both cohorts had a significantly higher baseline cost two years before treatment compared with the background population controls. These measures increased sharply during the year after treatment. Five years after treatment, healthcare costs and loss of productivity remained proportionally similarly increased for the two treatment groups compared to the background population. Multiple surgeries had detrimental effects on long term productivity for the patients, and spouses to patients had marginally increased loss of productivity. INTERPRETATION: The results show that patients referred to specialised treatment of LBP display poor socioeconomic prognosis, regardless of conservative or surgical treatment modality. This development was reinforced in patients undergoing multiple surgeries and was also observed among spouses to the patients. Our findings of substantial loss of productivity across subgroups indicate that measures of successful treatment need to be more nuanced.

A Comparison of Mortality and Morbidity Between Complex and Degenerative Spine Surgery in Prospectively Collected Data From 2,280 Procedures.

OBJECTIVE: The reported incidence of complications and/or adverse events (AEs) following spine surgery varies greatly. A validated, systematic, reproducible reporting system to quantify AEs was used in 2 prospective cohorts, from 2 spine surgery centers, conducting either complex or purely degenerative spine surgery; in a comparative fashion. The aim was to highlight the differences between 2 distinctly different prospective cohorts with patients from the same background population. METHODS: AEs were registered according to the predefined AE variables in the SAVES (Spine AdVerse Events Severity) system which was used to record all intra- and perioperative AEs. Additional outcomes, including mortality, length of stay, wound infection requiring revision, readmission, and unplanned revision surgery during the index admission, were also registered. RESULTS: A total of 593 complex and 1,687 degenerative procedures were consecutively included with 100% data completion. There was a significant difference in morbidity when comparing the total number of AEs between the 2 groups (p < 0.001): with a mean number of 1.42 AEs per patient (n = 845) in the complex cohort, and 0.97 AEs per patient (n = 1,630) in the degenerative cohort. CONCLUSION: In this prospective study comparing 2 cohorts, we report the rates of AEs related to spine surgery using a validated reproducible grading system for registration. The rates of morbidity and mortality were significantly higher following complex spine surgery compared to surgery for degenerative spine disease.

Morbidity and mortality following degenerative spine surgery in a prospective cohort of 1687 consecutive surgical procedures.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. OBJECTIVE: To determine the true incidence of adverse events (AEs) in European adults undergoing surgery for degenerative spine diseases. The majority of surgeries performed for degenerative spinal diseases are elective, and the need for adequate estimation of risk-benefit of the intended surgery is imperative. A cumbersome obstacle for adequate estimation of surgery-related risks is that the true incidence of complications or adverse events (AEs) remains unclear. METHODS: All adult patients (≥ 18 years) undergoing spine surgery at a single center from February 1, 2016, to January 31, 2017, were prospectively and consecutively included. Morbidity and mortality were determined using the Spine AdVerse Events Severity (SAVES) system. Additionally, the correlation between the AEs and length of stay (LOS) and mortality was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 1687 procedures were performed in the study period, and all were included for analysis. Of these, 1399 (83%) were lumbar procedures and 288 (17%) were cervical. The overall incidence of AEs was 47.4%, with a minor AE incidence of 43.2% and a major of 14.5%. Female sex (OR 1.5 [95% CI 1.2-1.9), p < 0.001) and age > 65 years (OR 1.5 [95% CI 1.1-1.7], p = 0.012) were significantly associated with increased odds of having an AE. CONCLUSION: Based on prospectively registered AEs in this single-center study, we validated the use of the SAVES system in a European population undergoing spine surgery due to degenerative spine disease. We found a higher incidence of AEs than previously reported in retrospective studies. The major AEs registered occurred significantly more often perioperatively and in patients > 65 years.

[Successful treatment and rehabilitation of severe, penetrating brain injury].

Penetrating brain injuries due to gunshots are rare in Denmark. This is a case report of the successful treatment of a 31-year-old man who was shot in the right frontal region of the head. The bullet went through his brain without damaging the large intracranial vessels. On admission he had a GCS of 9. Haematoma removal and bifrontal craniectomy was performed to obtain lowering of the intracranial pressure. One year after the incidence the patient was able return to work. This case report illustrates the importance of early prehospital and neurointensive treatment with lowering of the intracranial pressure and highly specialised rehabilitation.

[Traumatic penetrating brain injury].

Penetrating brain injury is a severe form of traumatic brain injury. It is significantly less prevalent than closed head injury but carries a much worse prognosis. The experience with traumatic penetrating brain injury in Denmark is limited. The most common causes in penetrating brain injury in Denmark are: violence, accidents and suicidal behaviour. The aim of this review is to give a brief update on historical background, mechanisms of disease, recommended medical and surgical treatment, and complications. Clinical examples and a treatment algorithm are discussed.