A new study published in Spine examines 30-day readmissions for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
The study authors conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent ACDF in the prospective National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. There were 17,088 patients who underwent elective ACDF from 2012 to 2014. The researchers found:
1. The overall readmission rate was 3.2 percent within 30 days of surgery.
2. More than half — 53.8 percent — of the patients readmitted were for nonsurgical site-related reasons. The reasons for readmission included:
● Neuropsychiatric: 44 patients
● Cardiovascular: 39 patients
● Pneumonia: 37 patients
3. There were 184 patients readmitted for surgical site-related reasons, including:
● Surgical site infection: 42 patients
● Hemorrhage/hematoma: 42 patients
● Dysphagia: 32 patients
4. The only factors associated with readmissions were older age and higher American Society of Anesthesiologists class.
5. The authors concluded since most of the ACDF patients were readmitted for nonsurgical site-related reasons, patient selection, aggressive preoperative medical optimization and adequate postoperative management are essential.