A new study published in Spine compares the short-term outcomes for primary and revision anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
The study authors examined 20,383 ACDF procedures, with 1,219 being revision surgeries. The researchers gathered data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program on procedures performed from 2005 to 2014. The researchers found:
1. The revision procedures were associated with increased risk of adverse events. Those events could include:
• Thromboembolic events
• Surgical Site infections
• Minor adverse events
2. The patients who underwent revision procedures were more likely to return to the operating room and receive blood transfusions.
3. Thirty days after surgery, the revision patients had an increased risk of readmissions.
4. The primary spine surgery patients' operative time was seven minutes less on average and they stayed at the hospital for half a day less than patients in the revision group.
5. The study authors advised the results could be used for risk stratification and patient counseling.