The study authors examined the Charleston Comorbidity Index, complications and patient-reported outcomes for 371 spine patients who underwent degenerative lumbar spine conditions. The patients were enrolled in the Quality and Outcomes Database from a single center.
Study authors found:
1. There were minor complications in 48 percent of the patients and major complications in 9 percent of the patients.
2. One year after surgery, patients with major complications had significant greater deterioration in CCMI scores when compared with patients who had minor complications and patients who didn’t report complications. However, there wasn’t any difference in the Oswestry Disability Index or EQ-5D scores.
3. Although patients who experienced major complications reported improvement based on patient reported outcomes methodologies, they had greater deterioration in their general health status during the postoperative period. “Because CCMI is predictive of medical and surgical risk, patients who sustained a major complication now carry a greater likelihood of adverse outcomes with future interventions, including subsequent spine surgery,” the study authors concluded.
4. The patient-reported outcomes are still a key quality metric, but the study authors suggest they are unable to reflect the potential long-term impact of perioperative complications.
5. All patients, whether they experienced major, minor or no complications during surgery, reported similar CCMI scores preoperatively.
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