A study published in Spine examines the risk factors and causes of 30-day unplanned readmissions after lumbar spine surgery.
The researchers examined a large, multicenter clinical registry for patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery in 2012. There were 15,688 patients identified, 695 of which had unplanned 30-day hospital readmissions. By procedure, readmissions were:
• 2.2 percent after discectomy
• 9 percent after deformity
The top cause for readmission was wound-related conditions, appearing in 38.6 percent of the readmitted patients; pain-related admissions were next at 22.4 percent, followed by thromboembolic readmissions at 9.4 percent and systemic infections at 8 percent.
Predictors for readmission include:
• Older age, particularly patients older than 80
• African American race
• Recent weight loss
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder
• History of cancer
• Creatinine more than 1.2
• Elevated ASA class
• More than four hour operative time
• Prolonged hospital length of stay — more than four days
• More invasive procedures
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