The Scoliosis Research Society morbidity and mortality database was mined for all reported spine surgery cases from 2004 to 2007. A total of 108,419 cases were examined with an overall total postsurgical infection rate of 2.1 percent.
Additional findings include:
• Total infection rate for adults ranged from 1.4 percent for degenerative disease to 4.2 percent for kyphosis.
• Postoperative wound infection rate among pediatric patients ranged from 0.9 percent for degenerative disease to 5.4 percent for kyphosis.
• Factors associated with an increased risk of infection included revision surgery, spinal fusion performance and using implants.
• Minimally invasive approaches to surgery were associated with a lower infection rate for lumbar discectomy and transforminal lumbar interbody fusion.
Read the abstract about postsurgical infection after spine surgery.
Read other coverage on spine surgery studies:
– Study: Spine Surgery Better for Diabetic Patients With Spinal Stenosis, Degenerative Spondylolisthesis
– 8 New Studies Impacting Spine Surgery
– Study: Asymmetric Pelvic Bones in Pediatric Cerebral Palsy Patients Affects Spine Surgery Technique
