Table 1:
Demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, procedure characteristics, and postoperative complications for patients undergoing cervical and thoracolumbar fusion.
| Characteristic, n (%) | Cervical Fusion (n=154,078) | Thoracolumbar Fusion (n=213,133) |
|---|---|---|
| Age in years, mean (std) | 55.5 (12.0) | 59.5 (13.9) |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 74,014 (48.0) | 96,058 (45.1) |
| Female | 80,064 (52.0) | 117,075 (54.9) |
| Insurance type | ||
| Private | 72,751 (47.2) | 77,943 (36.6) |
| Medicare | 48,992 (31.8) | 95,987 (45.0) |
| Medicaid | 11,295 (7.3) | 12,106 (5.7) |
| Other | 21,040 (13.7) | 27,097 (12.7) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| White | 119,377 (77.5) | 167,612 (78.6) |
| Black | 14,140 (9.2) | 15,302 (7.2) |
| Hispanic | 8,783 (5.7) | 13,282 (6.2) |
| Other | 11,778 (7.6) | 16,937 (8.0) |
| Elixhauser comorbidity index, mean (std) | 5.9 (10.2) | 7.1 (10.7) |
| Myelopathy | 55,712 (36.2) | 6,844 (3.2) |
| Scoliosis | 1,158 (0.75) | 21,424 (10.1) |
| Other deformity | 5,881 (3.8) | 13,381 (6.3) |
| Tobacco use | 54,754 (35.5) | 71,580 (33.6) |
| Anxiety | 22,541 (14.6) | 31,389 (14.7) |
| Hypercholesterolemia | 48,173 (31.3) | 83,105 (39.0) |
| Chronic pain | 11,064 (7.2) | 20,999 (9.9) |
| Surgical Approach | ||
| Anterior fusion | 133,714 (86.8) | 20,071 (9.4) |
| Posterior fusion | 16,481 (10.7) | 173,864 (81.6) |
| Anterior/posterior fusion | 3,064 (2.0) | 19,198 (9.0) |
| Not specified* | 819 (0.53) | N/A |
| Cervicothoracic Fusion | 1,797 (1.2) | N/A |
| Osteotomy/corpectomy | 12,473 (8.1) | 4,305 (2.0) |
| Interbody device | 96,866 (62.9) | 142,438 (66.8) |
| Multilevel fusion | 45,946 (29.8) | 36,233 (17.0) |
| Any complication | 8,553 (5.6) | 26,205 (12.3) |
| Died | 182 (0.12) | 301 (0.14) |
| Return to the operating room | 2,041 (1.3) | 6,010 (2.8) |
| Neurological complication | 1,568 (1.0) | 7,898 (3.7) |
| Pneumonia | 1,109 (0.72) | 2,281 (1.1) |
| Postoperative hematoma | 1,039 (0.67) | 1,969 (0.92) |
| Other respiratory complication | 925 (0.60) | 1,329 (0.62) |
| Surgical site infection | 807 (0.52) | 3,078 (1.4) |
| Device complication | 749 (0.49) | 1,946 (0.91) |
| Urinary-renal complication | 1,603 (1.04) | 5,988 (2.8) |
| Myocardial infarct/cardiac complication | 614 (0.40) | 1,669 (0.78) |
| Sepsis | 576 (0.37) | 1,735 (0.81) |
| Deep venous thrombosis | 425 (0.28) | 1,266 (0.59) |
| Pulmonary embolism | 411 (0.27) | 1,244 (0.58) |
| Wound dehiscence | 343 (0.22) | 1,277 (0.60) |
| Stroke | 187 (0.12) | 383 (0.18) |
| Osteomyelitis/discitis | 85 (0.06) | 174 (0.08) |
| Meningitis | NR | 31 (0.01) |
| Vascular injury | NR | 31 (0.01) |
NR=not reported due to not reaching the cutoff of 10 event rates required by HCUP for reporting individual outcomes.
N/A= not applicable to that patient cohort.
*
Anterior or posterior approach was not specified.