Alok Sharan, MD MHCDS, co-director of the Westmed Spine Center in Yonkers, N.Y., recently presented results of a novel surgical procedure called awake spinal fusion at the Nuvasive Spine Summit. Preliminary results indicate that the procedure can have favorable outcomes with a shorter length of stay for the appropriately selected patients.
"During an awake spinal fusion we perform a minimally invasive TLIF surgery under a spinal anesthetic," says Dr. Sharan. "Since many of the patients are awake they often come in with headphones during surgery and listen to music, which makes for a better experience."
So far, Dr. Sharan and his colleagues have performed the awake spinal fusion surgery on 25 patients. The average length of stay is 1.1 days when surgery is performed this way; two patients have been discharged home the same day. Recovery is quicker since patients do not undergo general anesthesia and they're able to ambulate quickly. Many patients are walking within a couple hours after surgery, experiencing less pain due to a combination of the minimally invasive approach and our pain management regimen.
"This is a novel use of combining regional anesthesia along with minimally invasive surgery to perform quicker procedures. As a result of this we have also been able to minimize the amount of narcotics we give our patients. ," says Dr. Sharan. "That makes the procedure safer overall."
While it will take time and additional cases to gather conclusive evidence about the procedure, Dr. Sharan and his colleagues are excited about its prospects. Many patients are returning back to work quicker with this approach. More details are available at the website awakespinalfusion.com.
"We are trying to re-imagine the spine surgery experience for the patient," says Dr. Sharan. "Beyond the quick discharge many patients comment on how relaxing it was to listen to music during their surgery, leading to an overall wonderful experience. Patients aren't shy about being awake during surgery; they are actually coming in and asking for it."
Learn more about the procedure at awakespinalfusion.com.