Of the 480,000 spine fusions performed in the U.S. annually, between one-in-1,000 and one-in-10,000 cause blindness.
Researchers studied Nationwide Inpatient Sample data between 1998 and 2012, pinpointing procedure codes for spinal fusion surgery and diagnosis codes for ischemic optic neuropathy, which causes blindness.
Anesthesiology published the study online on June 30.
Here are five insights:
1. The study revealed surgeons performed 2.51 million spinal fusions between 1998 and 2012.
2. Of those spinal fusions, researchers found 257 cases of ischemic optic neuropathy. For every 10,000 spinal fusions, 1.02 resulted in blindness.
3. Researchers found over the time period, the risk of blindness reduced 60 percent.
4. The researchers discovered factors that increased blindness risk, which are:
• Older than 50 years
• Male
• Received a blood transfusion during the surgery
• Obesity
5. The researchers concluded the decrease in risk is associated with the adoption of minimally invasive surgery approaches. They also believe anesthesia advancements may reduce the risk of blindness.
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