A new study published in Spine examines the impact of surgery start times for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion patients.
The researchers gathered data from a surgical database for patients who underwent ACDF from 2013 to 2015. There were 106 patients included in the study, either grouped into the early or late cohorts. There were 60 patients in the early cohort and 46 patients in the late cohort.
The researchers found:
1. The later cohort was more likely to require overnight stays when compared with the early cohort.
2. Thirty-six percent of all patients were able to undergo same-day discharge.
3. The researchers concluded performing ACDFs earlier in the day could increase the likelihood for same-day discharge.
4. Earlier surgeries and same-day discharges could also increase resource utilization for overnight hospital stays, according to the study authors.
5. None of the patients who underwent early surgeries experienced complications or 30-day readmissions; 2.2 percent of the later surgeries experienced complications and 2.2 percent reported 30-day readmissions.