A study recently published in Spine compares the outcomes and cost of spinal fusion for cervical spinal trauma when patients are admitted on the weekday versus the weekend.
The study used data from the National Inpatient Sample from 2002 to 2011 and included patients who underwent anterior cervical fusion, posterior cervical fusion or anterior and posterior cervical fusion for trauma cases. A total of 34,122 patients were included in the study, with weekend patients accounting for 11.5 percent of ACF patients, 19.9 percent of PCF patients and 17.2 percent of APCF patients.
The researchers found:
• Patients admitted on the weekends were younger and more likely male, with few comorbidities.
• Patients undergoing ACF on the weekends were hospitalized 4.4 days longer and incurred $10,045 more in total hospital costs on average than patients admitted during the weekdays.
• Patients undergoing PCF were hospitalized on average 2.6 days longer and incurred around $10,227 more in total hospital costs on average than those admitted on the weekdays.
• APCF patients admitted on the weekend were hospitalized on average 4.2 days longer and incurred around $11,301 more in total hospital costs on average than patients admitted on the weekday.
• ACF patients treated on the weekends showed significantly greater incidences of postoperative infection, cardiac complications and urinary tract infections than those admitted on the weekday.
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