Owoicho Adogwa, MD, presented research at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons annual meeting examining how baseline affective disorders affected 30-day readmission rates for patients undergoing elective spine surgery.
The researchers examined 400 patients undergoing elective spine surgery at major academic medical centers and recorded one- and two-year outcomes for 107 patients. The researchers found:
1. Around 6 percent of the patients underwent readmissions within 30 days of discharge.
2. The readmission rate was three-fold greater for patients with psychiatric comorbidities compared with the other patients.
3. The additional factors associated with increased 30-day readmissions included:
• Race
• BMI
• Gender
• Patient age
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Levels fused
4. Depression was an independent predictor of 30-day readmissions.
5. There weren't any significant differences between the one- and two-year patient reported outcomes measures for either group.
The study authors recommended mental health components be added to future spine surgery interventions to reduce readmissions.