A study recently published in Spine outlines the predictors of 30-day readmission after anterior cervical fusion.
The researchers examined all patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion or anterior corpectomy and fusion in 2011 from the American College of Surgeon's National Quality Improvement database. The researchers found that 2.5 percent of the patients were readmitted. Around 8.5 percent of the readmitted patients had pulmonary complications, 8.5 percent had wound complications and 8.5 percent had urinary tract infections.
The predictors included:
• Older age
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
The researchers concluded, "The data in this study suggests that surgeons are already controlling readmission rates by limiting peri- and postoperative complications, but patients with a history of hypertension could have an increased likelihood of being readmitted despite avoiding a complication."
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