The study drew on data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Elective ACDF patients who had surgery from 2011 and 2020 with CPT code 22551 were included, and medical and surgical complications 30 days post-surgery were measured.
More than 64,700 patients were included, and 33,365 didn’t have obesity. Patients in obsese classes 1 to class 3 had higher incidences of surgical site infections and pulmonary embolisms. They also had a lower incidence of blood transfusion.
The study concluded, “Risk for postoperative PEs after an ACDF was significantly higher for obese classes I-III compared to nonobese patients. These findings may further support the use of additional prophylaxis measures and precaution in the perioperative setting.”
