Elderly patients undergoing spinal curvature surgery jumps 107%: 5 things to know

Spine

A new study published in Spinal Deformity shows elderly patients are undergoing surgery at a higher rate for multilevel spinal curvature.

The researchers examined the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for patients with multilevel spinal curvature who were 60 years old or older. They tracked the numbers from 2004 to 2011. There were 84,302 patients included in the analysis.

 

The researchers found:

 

1. The number of three-or-more level spinal curvature patients 60 years or older jumped from 6,571 in 2004 to 16,526 in 2011. This is a 107.8 percent increase from 13.4 cases per 100,000 people to 27.9 cases per 100,000 people.

 

2. The utilization rate increase was the greatest among 65 to 69 year olds, increasing by 122 percent. The patients in this group grew from 15.8 cases per 100,000 people in 2004 to 35.1 cases per 100,000 people in 2011.

 

3. The costs increased as well. The average hospital charge grew from $90,557 in 2007 to $188,727 in 2011, a 108 percent increase.

 

4. The surgical management of the multilevel spinal curvature in elderly patients exceeded the growth in number of people who are 60 years or older during the study period.

 

5. There was a growth in all age demographics in the study period and an increase in per user expenditure, as hospital charges consistently grew.

 

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