Study authors examined data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for patients who underwent posterior cervical spinal fusion from 2005 to 2012. There were 448 cases found in the registry and 43 percent included residents.
Study authors found resident involvement predicted:
1. Blood transfusion
2. Length of stay longer than five days
3. Operative time longer than five hours
Longer operative times are associated with an increased risk of infection, and longer hospital stays increase the cost of care. Additional independent risk factors for longer lengths of stay were:
• Age 81 years old or older, when compared with 50-year-old or younger patients
• Diabetes
Multifusions were an independent risk factor for longer operative times. Study authors concluded, “Resident participation was not associated with mortality, but had minimal association with morbidity.”
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