Objective High body mass index is a well-established modifiable comorbidity that is known to increase postoperative complications in all types of surgery, including spine surgery. Obesity is increasing in prevalence amongst the general population. As this growing population of obese patients ages, understanding how they faire undergoing cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) is important for providing safe and effective evidence-based care for cervical degenerative pathology.
Methods Our study used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s National Inpatient Sample to assess patients undergoing CDA comparing patient characteristics and outcomes in nonobese patients to obese patients from 2004 to 2014.
Results Our study found a significant increase in the overall utilization of CDA as a treatment modality (p = 0.012) and a statistically significant increase in obese patients undergoing CDA (p < 0.0001) from 2004 to 2014. Obesity was identified as an independent risk factor associated with increased rates of inpatient neurologic complications (odds ratio [OR], 6.99; p = 0.03), pulmonary embolus (OR, 5.41; p = 0.05), and wound infection (OR, 6.97; p < 0.001) in patients undergoing CDA from 2004 to 2014.
Conclusion In patients undergoing CDA, from 2004 to 2014, obesity was identified as an independent risk factor with significantly increased rates of inpatient neurologic complications, pulmonary embolus and wound infection. Large prospective trials are needed to validate these findings.
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Objective Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is the most common performed surgery in the cervical spine. Dysphagia is one of the most frequent complications following ACDF. Several studies have identified certain demographic and perioperative risk factors associated with increased dysphagia rates, but few have reported recent trends. Our study aims to report current trends and factors associated with the development of inpatient postoperative dysphagia after ACDF.
Methods The National Inpatient Sample was evaluated from 2004 to 2014 and discharges with International Classification of Diseases procedure codes indicating ACDF were selected. Time trend series plots were created for the yearly treatment trends for each fusion level by dysphagia outcome. Separate univariable followed by multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate predictors of dysphagia.
Results A total of 1,212,475 ACDFs were identified in which 3.3% experienced postoperative dysphagia. A significant increase in annual dysphagia rates was observed from 2004–2014. Frailty, intraoperative neuromonitoring, 4 or more level fusions, African American race, fluid/electrolyte disorders, blood loss, and coagulopathy were all identified as significant independent risk factors for the development of postoperative dysphagia following ACDF.
Conclusion Postoperative dysphagia is a well-known postsurgical complication associated with ACDF. Our cohort showed a significant increase in the annual dysphagia rates independent of levels fused. We identified several risk factors associated with the development of postoperative dysphagia after ACDF.
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