A new study published in Spine examines the 30-day morbidity and mortality among adult spinal deformity patients who smoke.
The study authors conducted a retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement database for patients who underwent adult spinal deformity surgery from 2007 to 2013. There were 1,368 patients who met the study criteria.
The study authors found:
1. Sixteen percent of the patients were smokers and 9.7 percent of the smokers developed at least one complication, compared with 13.6 percent among the nonsmokers.
2. Around 6.5 percent of the complications for smokers were major complications, compared to 8.4 percent among the nonsmokers.
3. Patients who reported smoking at the time of surgery weren't associated with increased odds of developing major or minor complications.
4. Smoking wasn't associated with higher mortality for the adult spinal deformity patients.
5. Even though there wasn't a connection between 30-day complications and smoking, the study authors concluded, "Given the negative effects of smoking on overall health and spine surgery outcomes in the long term, smoking cessation before spinal fusion is still recommended."