A study, published in The Spine Journal, examined whether anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedures are safer in hospitals or outpatient facilities.
Here are four insights:
1. Researchers examined the outcomes of 1,215 patients who underwent ACDF at outpatient centers and 10,964 patients who underwent the same procedure at a hospital between 2011 and 2016.
2. Follow-ups were conducted a year after the procedures. Of all the patients:
• 5.5 percent of patients who had outpatient surgery needed repeat operations
• 4.1 percent of patients who had inpatient surgery needed repeat operations
3. While complications were low, patients who chose outpatient surgery were 79 percent more likely to require repeat operations within one year of surgery, according to a Reuters report on the study.
4. Patients who chose outpatient surgery were also 25 percent more likely to experience postoperative kidney failure.