The researchers analyzed data from a single institution and included 462 patients in the study. Here are five findings from the study:
1. Patients who had a history of more than one admission in the year before surgery was the only “significantly associated” with an increased complication rate. “The number of inpatient admissions in the prior year was found to be a more powerful predictor of perioperative risk after lumbar fusion than metrics evaluated in prior studies, such as age, body mass index and comorbidities,” concluded the study authors.
2. The factors associated with increased length of stay were:
• On admission during the prior year
• Surgeries lasting more than five hours
• ASA physical status classification three or higher
3. There were increased charges for patients with one or more admissions in the year before surgery. The charges were $27,798 more for patients who had one or more prior readmissions.
4. Patients who had four or more levels fused cost an average of $38,043 more.
5. When surgery took more than five hours, patients had on average $40,298 higher charges.
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