Journal of Craniovertebral Junction and Spine (Jan 2023)

Reasons for transfer and subsequent outcomes among patients undergoing elective spine surgery at an orthopedic specialty hospital

  • Tristan Blase Fried,
  • Yunsoo Lee,
  • Jeremy C Heard,
  • Nicholas S Siegel,
  • Tariq Z Issa,
  • Mark J Lambrechts,
  • Caroline Zaworski,
  • Jasmine Wang,
  • Taylor D'Amore,
  • Amit Syal,
  • Charles Lawall,
  • John J Mangan,
  • Jose A Canseco,
  • Barrett I Woods,
  • Ian David Kaye,
  • Alan S Hilibrand,
  • Alexander R Vaccaro,
  • Christopher K Kepler,
  • Gregory D Schroeder

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/jcvjs.jcvjs_17_23
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 2
pp. 159 – 164

Abstract

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Objective: To evaluate the reasons for transfer as well as the 90-day outcomes of patients who were transferred from a high-volume orthopedic specialty hospital (OSH) following elective spine surgery. Materials and Methods: All patients admitted to a single OSH for elective spine surgery from 2014 to 2021 were retrospectively identified. Ninety-day complications, readmissions, revisions, and mortality events were collected and a 3:1 propensity match was conducted. Results: Thirty-five (1.5%) of 2351 spine patients were transferred, most commonly for arrhythmia (n = 7; 20%). Thirty-three transferred patients were matched to 99 who were not transferred, and groups had similar rates of complications (18.2% vs. 10.1%; P = 0.228), readmissions (3.0% vs. 4.0%; P = 1.000), and mortality (6.1% vs. 0%; P = 0.061). Conclusion: Overall, this study demonstrates a low transfer rate following spine surgery. Risk factors should continue to be optimized in order to decrease patient risks in the postoperative period at an OSH.

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