Table 1.

Overall complication rates, veterans having surgery for a primary diagnosis of spinal stenosis, 1998–2009, n=12,154.

Complication	Number with complication (%)
Return to OR	403 (3.3)
Urinary tract infection	202 (1.7)
Death within 90 days	79 (0.6)
Congestive heart failure in 1 month after surgery	73 (0.6)
Progressive renal insufficiency	23 (0.2)
Acute renal failure	11 (0.1)
Peripheral nerve injury	12 (0.1)
Bleeding requiring >4 units RBCs	7 (0.1)
Included in “major medical complication” composite	253 (2.1)*
Pneumonia	81 (0.7)
Systemic sepsis	78 (0.6)
Reintubation for respiratory or cardiac failure	71 (0.6)
Myocardial infarction	40 (0.3)
Failure to wean >48 hours	38 (0.3)
Cardiac arrest requiring CPR	36 (0.3)
DVT/thrombophlebitis	27 (0.2)
Pulmonary embolism	19 (0.2)
Cerebrovascular accident/stroke	9 (0.1)
Coma >24 hours	4 (0.0)
Included in “wound complication” composite	391 (3.2)*
Superficial infection	225 (1.9)
Deep wound infection	147 (1.2)
Wound disruption	41 (0.3)

^*Total number of patients in these composites is not the sum of individual complications as some patients had more than one complication.