A new study published in Spine examines the readmission rates for patients who undergo cervical fusion for cervical spondylosis and are 65 years or older.
The researchers examined data for patients who underwent cervical fusions at one, two or three-plus levels from 2005 to 2012. The study authors found:
1. The readmission rates were:
• 30 days: 1 percent to 1.4 percent
• 90 days: 2.7 percent to 3.6 percent
• One year: 13.2 percent to 14.1 percent
2. More than 30 percent of the patients in the study cohorts were readmitted for surgical reasons within the first 30 days after surgery.
3. The most frequent reason for readmission among the patients who were readmitted within 30 days of the initial procedure for surgical reasons was hematoma/seroma diagnoses.
4. The factors that were predictive of all-cause readmissions were:
• Male gender
• Diabetes mellitus
• Chronic pulmonary disease
• Obesity
• Smoking history
5. The researchers concluded, "Unplanned 30-day readmission rates following primary, elective ACF in elderly patients is low and often due to medical reasons."