A new study published in Spine examines 30- and 90-day readmission rates for spinal fusions.
The study authors examined data from patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and posterior cervical fusion from 2013 to 2014 from a single institution. Researchers found:
1. The 30-day readmission rate for the 389 ACDF patients included in the study was 5.1 percent; the 90-day readmission rate was 7.7 percent.
2. The 30-day readmission rate for the 160 PCF patients included in the study was 11.2 percent; the 90-day readmission rate was 16.9 percent.
3. Systemic infection and sepsis were responsible for 31.4 percent of the ACDF readmissions and 25.8 percent of the PCF readmissions. This was the most common cause of readmission.
4. The second most common reason for readmission was pulmonary complications, cited in 14.3 percent of ACDF and 19.4 percent of PCF patients.
5. The factors predicting readmission for ACDF patients included heart failure, deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism history and intraoperative complications. For PCF patients, the factors predicting readmission were ischemic heart disease history, increased number of levels fused and a longer stay at the hospital.