The Spine Journal published a study examining surgical site infection after posterior cervical surgery.
The researchers examined data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project Participant Use Data File for spine surgery patients between 2005 and 2012. There were 5,441 patients include in the study who underwent posterior cervical spine surgery. The researchers also obtained the 30-day readmission data for the patients in 2011 and 2012.
There were 3,724 patients who underwent posterior cervical decompression and 1,310 patients who had posterior cervical fusion. Another 407 patients underwent cervical laminoplasty.
Here are five things to know:
1. The 30 day readmission rate was 2.94 percent; 160 patients were readmitted within 30 days and 80 of those cases were superficial SSI.
2. There wasn't a significant difference between the SSI rates in the three procedure groups.
3. The average diagnosis time for the SSI was more than two weeks after surgery.
4. More than one-third, 36.9 percent, of the patients in 2011 to 2012 were readmitted for SSIs within 30 days.
5. The factors predicting SSI include:
• BMI higher than 35
• Chronic steroid use
• Albumin lower than three
• Hematocrit lower than 33
• Platelets lower than 100
• Higher ASA class
• Longer operative time
• Longer hospital admission
6. The independent risk factors included BMI higher than 35, chronic steroid use and operative time higher than 197 minutes.