A study published in Spine recently assessed the perioperative patient characteristics, hospital resource utilization and early postoperative outcomes for patients who needed reintubation following anterior cervical fusion.
The study included data from 1,464 patients who required reintubation after elective ACF from the National Inpatient Sample database from 2002 to 2011. The researchers found the rate of reintubation was greater for patients who had three-plus levels fused than one- or two-level fusion and older patients were also more likely to require reintubation.
The patients who needed reintubation had a significantly longer hospital stay and incurred higher costs. According to the report, the predictors for reintubation include:
• Three-level fusions
• Congestive heart failure
• Anemia
• Postoperative aspiration pneumonia
• Hematoma
• Thromboembolic events
• Dysphagia
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