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To assess opioid usage in surgical and nonsurgical patients with lumbar disc herniation receiving different treatments and timing of treatments. Individuals with newly diagnosed lumbar intervertebral disc herniation without myelopathy were queried from a health claims database. Patients were categorized into 3 cohorts: nonsurgical, early surgery, and late surgery. Early surgery cohort patients underwent surgery within 30 days postdiagnosis; late surgery cohort patients had surgery after 30 days but before 1 year postdiagnosis. The index date was defined as the diagnosis date for nonsurgical patients and the initial surgery date for surgical patients. The primary outcome was the average daily opioid morphine milligram equivalents (MME) prescribed. Additional outcomes included percentage of opioid-using patients and cumulative opioid burden. Inclusion criteria were met by 573,082 patients: 533,226 patients received nonsurgical treatments, 22,312 patients received early surgery, and 17,544 patients received late surgery. Both surgical cohorts experienced a postsurgical increase in opioid usage, which then sharply declined and gradually plateaued, with daily opioid MME consistently lower in the early versus late surgery cohort. The early surgery cohort also consistently had a lower prevalence of opioid-using patients than the late surgery cohort. Patients receiving nonsurgical treatment demonstrated the highest 1-year post index cumulative opioid burden, and the early surgery cohort consistently had lower cumulative opioid MME than the late surgery cohort. Early surgery in patients with lumbar disc herniation is associated with lower long-term average daily MME, incidence of opioid use, and 1-year cumulative MME burden compared with nonsurgical and late surgery treatment approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is effective for the treatment of single-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). However, the data surrounding multilevel CSM have remained controversial. One alternative is laminoplasty, although evidence comparing these strategies has remained sparse. In the present report, we retrospectively reviewed the readmission and reoperation rates for patients who had undergone ACDF or laminoplasty for multilevel CSM from a national longitudinal administrative claims database. We queried the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database to identify patients who had undergone ACDF or laminoplasty for multilevel CSM from 2007 to 2016. The patients were stratified by operation type. Patients aged <18 years, patients with a history of tumor or trauma, and patients who had undergone anteroposterior approach were excluded from the present study. A total of 5445 patients were included, of whom 1521 had undergone laminoplasty. A matched cohort who had undergone ACDF was identified. The overall 90-day postoperative complication rate was greater in the laminoplasty cohort (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.18–1.86; P < 0.0001). The mean length of stay and 90-day readmission rates were greater in the laminoplasty cohort. The hospital and total payments of the index hospitalization were greater in the ACDF cohort, as were the total payments for ≤2 years after the index hospitalization. In the present administrative claims database study, no difference was found in the reoperation rate between ACDF and laminoplasty. ACDF resulted in fewer complications and readmissions compared with laminoplasty but was associated with greater costs. Additional prospective research is required to investigate the factors driving the higher costs of ACDF in this population and the long-term clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine postoperative complications and quality outcomes of single-stage and multistage surgical management for lumbar degenerative disease (LDD). This retrospective cohort study using a national administrative database identified patients who underwent surgery for LDD between 2007 and 2016. Patients were stratified based on whether their surgeon chose to perform single-stage or multistage LDD surgery, and these cohorts were mutually exclusive. Propensity score matching was used to mitigate intergroup differences between single-stage and multistage patients. Patients who underwent ≥3 levels of surgical correction, who were <18 years old, or who had any prior history of trauma or tumor were excluded from the study. Baseline comorbidities, postoperative complication rates, and reoperation rates were determined. Primary surgery for LDD was performed in 47,190 patients; 9438 (20%) of these patients underwent multistage surgery. After propensity score matching, baseline covariates of the 2 cohorts were similar. The complication rate was 6.1% in the single-stage cohort and 11.0% in the multistage cohort. Rates of posthemorrhagic anemia, infection, wound complication, deep vein thrombosis, and hematoma all were higher in the multistage cohort. Length of stay, revisions, and readmissions were also significantly higher in the multistage cohort. Through 2 years of follow-up, multistage surgery was associated with higher payments throughout the 2-year follow-up period ($57,036 vs. $39,318, P < 0.05). Single-stage surgery for LDD demonstrated improved outcomes and lower health care utilization. Spine surgeons should carefully consider single-stage surgery when treating patients with LDD requiring <3 levels of correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anticipating postdischarge complications after neurosurgery remains difficult. The LACE index, based on 4 hospitalization descriptors, stratifies patients by risk of 30-day postdischarge adverse events but has not been validated in a procedure-specific manner in neurosurgery. Our study sought to explore the usefulness of the LACE index in a population undergoing cranial neurosurgery and to develop an enhanced model, LACE-Cranial. The OptumClinformatics Database was used to identify cranial neurosurgery admissions (2004–2017). Procedures were grouped as trauma/hematoma/intracranial pressure, open vascular, functional/pain, skull base, tumor, or endovascular. Adverse events were defined as postdischarge death/readmission. LACE-Cranial was developed using a logistic regression framework incorporating an expanded feature set in addition to the original LACE components. A total of 40,431 admissions were included. Predictions of 30-day readmissions was best for skull base (area under the curve [AUC], 0.636) and tumor (AUC, 0.63) admissions but was generally poor. Predictive ability of 30-day mortality was best for functional/pain admissions (AUC, 0.957) and poorest for trauma/hematoma/intracranial pressure admissions (AUC, 0.613). Across procedure types except for functional/pain, a high-risk LACE score was associated with higher postdischarge bundled payment costs. Incorporating features identified to contribute independent predictive value, the LACE-Cranial model achieved procedure-specific 30-day mortality AUCs ranging from 0.904 to 0.98. Prediction of 30-day and 90-day readmissions was also improved, with tumor and skull base cases achieving 90-day readmission AUCs of 0.718 and 0.717, respectively. Although the unmodified LACE index shows inconsistent classification performance, the enhanced LACE-Cranial model offers excellent prediction of short-term postdischarge mortality across procedure groups and significantly improved anticipation of short-term postdischarge readmissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cases of adult spinal deformity (ASD) with severe sagittal malalignment, the use of osteotomies may be necessary in addition to posterior fusion. However, few data exist describing the impact of osteotomies on complications and quality outcomes during ASD surgery. We queried the MarketScan database to identify patients who underwent ASD surgery in 2007–2016. Patients were stratified according to whether or not an osteotomy was used in the index operation. Propensity score matching was used to mitigate intergroup differences between osteotomy and nonosteotomy groups. Patients <18 years old and patients with any prior history of trauma or tumor were excluded from the study. Of 7423 patients who met the inclusion criteria of this study, 2700 (36.4%) received an osteotomy. After propensity score matching, baseline comorbidities and approach type were similar between cohorts. The overall 90-day complication rate was 43.2% in the nonosteotomy group and 52.8% in the osteotomy group (P < 0.0001). The osteotomy cohort also had significantly higher rates of revision surgeries through 2 years (21.1% vs. 18.0%, P < 0.05) following index surgery. Patients who received a 3-column osteotomy had the highest procedural payments, costing $155,885 through 90 days and $167,161 through 1 year following surgery. This analysis confirms high costs and complication, readmission, and reoperation rates until 2 years after ASD surgery in general, which are even higher in cases where an osteotomy is required. Future research should explore strategies for optimizing patient outcomes following osteotomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurosurgical spine specialists receive considerable amounts of industry support that may impact the cost of care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between industry payments received by spine surgeons and the total hospital and operating room (OR) costs of an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedure among Medicare beneficiaries. All ACDF cases were identified among the Medicare carrier files from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2014, and matched to the Medicare inpatient baseline file. The total hospital and OR charges were obtained for these cases. Charges were converted to cost using year-specific cost-to-charge ratios. Surgeons were identified among the Open Payments database, which is used to quantify industry support. Analyses were performed to examine the association between industry payments received and ACDF costs. Matching resulting in the inclusion of 2209 ACDF claims from 2013–2014. In 2013 and 2014, the mean total cost for an ACDF was $21,798 and $21,008, respectively; mean OR cost was $5878 and $6064, respectively. Mann-Whitney U test demonstrated no significant differences in the mean total or OR cost for an ACDF based on quartile of general industry payment received (P = 0.21 and P = 0.54), and linear regression found no association between industry general payments, research support, or investments on the total hospital cost (P = 0.41, P = 0.13, and P = 0.25, respectively), or OR cost for an ACDF (P = 0.35, P = 0.24, and P = 0.40, respectively). This study suggests that spine surgeons performing ACDF surgeries may receive industry support without impacting the cost of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operative microscope, a commonly used tool in neurosurgery, is critical in many supratentorial tumor cases. However, use of operating microscope for supratentorial tumor varies by surgeon. To assess complication rates, readmissions, and costs associated with operative microscope use in supratentorial resections. A retrospective analysis was conducted using a national administrative database to identify patients with glioma or brain metastases who underwent supratentorial resection between 2007 and 2016. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess 30-day complications, readmissions, and costs between patients who underwent resection with and without use of microscope. The cohort included 12,058 glioma patients and 5433 metastasis patients. Rates of microscope use varied by state from 19.0% to 68.6%. Microscope use was associated with $5228.90 in additional costs of index hospitalization among glioma patients (P <0.001), and $2824.00 among metastasis patients (P <0.001). Rates of intraoperative cerebral edema were lower among the microscope cohort than among the nonmicroscope cohort (P <0.027). Microscope use was associated with a slight reduction in 30-day rates of neurological complications (14.7% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.048), specifically in nonspecific cerebrovascular complications. There were no differences in rates of other complications, readmissions, or 30-day postoperative costs. Use of operative microscope for supratentorial resections varies by state and is associated with higher cost of surgery. Microscope use may be associated with lower rates of intraoperative cerebral edema and some cerebrovascular complications, but is not associated with significant differences in other complications, readmissions, or 30-day costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Placement of Ommaya reservoirs for the administration of intrathecal chemotherapy may be complicated by comorbid thrombocytopenia among patients with hematologic or leptomeningeal disease. Aggregated data on risks of Ommaya placement among thrombocytopenic patients are lacking. This study assesses complications, revision rates, and costs associated with Ommaya placement among patients with thrombocytopenia in a large population sample. Using a national administrative database, this retrospective study identifies a cohort of adult patients with cancer who underwent Ommaya placement between 2007 and 2016. Preoperative thrombocytopenia was defined as diagnosis of secondary thrombocytopenia, bleeding event, procedure to control bleeding, or platelet transfusion, within 30 days before index admission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess costs, 30-day complications, readmissions, and revisions among patients with and without preoperative thrombocytopenia. The analytic cohort included 1652 patients, of whom 29.3% met criteria for preoperative thrombocytopenia. In-hospital mortality rates were 7.7% among patients thrombocytopenia with versus 1.2% among patients without thrombocytopenia (P < 0.001). Preoperative thrombocytopenia was associated with 14.5 times greater hazard of intracranial hemorrhage within 30 days following Ommaya placement, occurring in 25.6% versus 2.0% of patients with and without thrombocytopenia, respectively (P < 0.014). Revision rates did not differ significantly between patients with and without thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia was associated with longer length of stay (7.4 vs. 13.9 days, P < 0.001) and additional $10,000 per patient in costs of index hospitalization (P < 0.001). This is the largest study to date documenting costs and complication rates of Ommaya placement in patients with and without thrombocytopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal arteriovenous malformations (AVM) are an abnormal interconnection of vasculature in the spine than can lead to significant neurologic deficit if left untreated. The objective of this study was to characterize how patients with spinal AVM initially presented, what treatment options were used, and their overall outcomes on a national scale. The MarketScan database was queried to identify adult patients diagnosed with a spinal AVM from 2007 to 2015. Trends in management, postoperative complication rates, and costs were determined. In total, 976 patients were identified with having a diagnosis of a spinal AVM. Patients were more commonly treated with an open incision than an embolization (40.1% vs. 15.4%). The overall complication rate was 33.61%. Spinal AVM admissions have been stable over the past decade, and mean cost of hospitalization has risen from of $48,700 in 2007 to $71,292 in 2015. Patients who underwent open surgery had a greater complication rate than those treated with embolization (31.15% vs. 18.25%, P < 0.005); however, this may be strongly influenced by complexity of spinal AVM pathology and not treatment modality. Costs of spinal AVM management continue to rise, even when treatment modalities have reduced length of stay significantly. Open surgery may lead to more postoperative complications and a greater length of stay than endovascular approaches. Further studies should look to identify the efficacy of endovascular approaches for spinal cord AVMs, particularly in complex spinal AVM traditionally treated with open surgery and to isolate factors leading to the elevated hospitalization costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landmark Patchell trial established surgical decompression followed by adjuvant radiotherapy as standard-of-care for patients with spinal cord compression caused by metastatic cancer. However, little comparative evidence exists with regard to the choice of specific surgical approaches for these patients. We sought to conduct a comparative analysis of outcomes of surgical options for spinal metastatic disease. This was an epidemiologic study using national administrative data from the MarketScan database. We queried the MarketScan database (2007–2016), identifying patients with a diagnosis of spinal metastasis treated with surgical decompression (N = 1054). We used descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing to compare baseline characteristics, complications, quality metrics, and costs. We identified patients with spinal metastases undergoing laminectomy (N = 760), corpectomy (N = 193), or both combined procedures (laminectomy and corpectomy, N = 101). No significant differences in baseline demographics, follow-up time, or primary tumor histology were observed. We found a greater 30-day postoperative complication rate among patients undergoing corpectomy (P < 0.0001), driven by increased rate of postoperative anemia and pulmonary complications. Length of stay and 30-day readmission rates did not vary between surgical approaches. Total index hospitalization and 30-day payments were greatest among patients undergoing combined procedures and lowest for patients undergoing laminectomy alone. Our findings highlight distinct complication profiles and quality outcomes associated with selection of surgical approach for patients with spinal metastases. These findings must be interpreted with a clear understanding of the limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To characterize cranioplasty complications and costs at a population level using a longitudinal national claims database. Methods We identified patients undergoing cranioplasty between 2007 and 2014 in the MarketScan national database. We evaluated age, autograft usage, cranioplasty size, and cranioplasty timing stratified by postoperative outcomes. We further analyzed associated costs. A subset analysis of adult patients with emergent indications, including stroke and trauma, was performed. Results We identified 8275 patients (mean age 44.0 years ± 20.0, 45.2% male), including 13.8% children (<18 years old), 76.0% adults (18–64 years old), and 10.2% elderly adults (≥65 years old). Overall complication rate was 36.6%, mortality rate was 0.5%, and 30-day readmission rate was 12.0%. Elderly patients had the highest complication rate ( P < 0.0001). Large cranioplasties (>5 cm) had higher complication rates than small cranioplasties (≤5 cm; P = 0.047). In patients with emergent indications ( n = 1282), size did not influence complications, although large cranioplasties showed higher infection risk ( P = 0.02). Autograft use did not affect outcomes but was associated with higher complication risk, including infections, in the subset with emergent indications ( P < 0.001, P = 0.001). Late (>90 days) cranioplasty timing had higher complication rates in the overall cohort and the subset with emergent indications ( P < 0.001, P < 0.001). Index costs of care were mainly driven by hospital payments in both the overall cohort and the cohort with emergent indications. Conclusions A high complication rate is associated with cranioplasty in the United States. Older age, large cranioplasties, and delayed cranioplasties increased complication risk overall. Among patients with emergent indications, complications were associated with delayed time to cranioplasty and autograft usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surgical intervention is performed on the cervical spine in a heterogeneous number of pathologic conditions in a diverse patient population. Several authors have examined complication prevalence in cervical spine surgery using retrospective analysis. However, few prospective studies have directly examined perioperative complications. Most prospective studies in the spine literature have assessed only specific spinal implants in carefully selected surgical patients, and complication incidence in broader patient populations is limited. Objectives: To prospectively collect data on all patients who underwent cervical spine surgery at a large tertiary care center and to evaluate the effect of the approach and the incidence of early complications. Methods: Data were collected prospectively on 119 patients admitted to the neurosurgical service at Thomas Jefferson University hospital from May to December 2008. Data collected consisted of preoperative diagnosis, medical comorbidities, body mass index, surgical approach, length of stay, and complications, and were analyzed using multivariate regression analysis. Complications occurring within 30 days after each operative procedure were included. Medical adverse events, regardless of their relationship to the operative intervention, were also included as complications. A previously validated binary definition of major and minor complications was used to stratify the data. Results: Overall, 53 of 119 patients (44.5%) experienced at least one complication. Eleven of 41 patients (26.8%) undergoing only an anterior cervical procedure had a perioperative complication, compared with 26 of 53 patients (49.0%) undergoing only a posterior cervical procedure (P = .01). In patients undergoing a combined anterior and posterior surgical procedure, 16 of 25 (66%) experienced a complication, a significant difference in comparison with solitary anterior procedures (P = .004). Anterior procedures were associated with postoperative dysphagia and vocal cord paresis, whereas wound infection and C5 palsy was more frequently recorded in the group undergoing surgery via an isolated posterior approach. Conclusions: The incidence of complications or adverse events is not definitely known for most spinal procedures because of the complexity of defining complications and obtaining accurate data. Therefore, to obtain a more accurate assessment of spinal procedures, a prospective algorithm was designed to collect and record complications during the acute perioperative period. Using this technique, a significantly higher complication rate was documented than had been previously reported for cervical spine operative interventions. In addition, use of a broad definition of perioperative complications likely increased the recorded incidence of perioperative adverse events and complications. Complications were more common in patients undergoing posterior and anteroposterior procedures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Thoracic and lumbar spine surgical procedures are performed for a variety of pathologies. The literature consists of multiple retrospective reviews examining complication prevalence with the surgical treatment of these disorders. However, there is limited direct examination of perioperative complications through a prospective approach. Of the prospective assessments, the majority focuses on specific surgical procedures or provides a limited assessment of certain spinal implants. Prospective assessments of complication incidence in broad patient populations are limited. This article analyzes a prospectively collected database of patients who underwent a thoracic and/or lumbar spine surgery at a large tertiary care center and the effect of surgical approach (anterior or posterior) on the incidence of early complications. Methods: Data collection was performed prospectively on 128 patients on the neurosurgical spine service at Thomas Jefferson University hospital from May to December 2008. Data on preoperative diagnosis, medical comorbidities, body mass index, surgical approach and procedure, length of stay, and complication occurrence was recorded and analyzed. Acute complications or adverse events occurring within the initial 30 days after each operative procedure were included. All medical adverse events were included as complications. A previously circumstantiated binary definition of major and minor complications was used to stratify the data. Results: Overall, 76 of 128 patients (59.4%) in this cohort experienced at least one complication. Anterior thoracic and lumbar procedures had an 83.3% (5/6) incidence of complications. Of those patients having solely a posterior thoracic and lumbar procedures, 37 of 75 (49.3%) experienced at least one complication. Combined anterior and posterior surgical procedure had a complication incidence of 34 of 47 (72.3%). The mean number of complications reached significance for the minor and overall complications groups (P = .0076 and .0172, respectively, Poisson regression). Comparing the incidence of complications reveals the overall complications in the posterior alone group compared with the anterior/posterior combined group was significantly lower (P = .0134). Those undergoing instrumented fusions were statistically more likely to encounter complications (P<.001). Conclusions: There is a considerably higher complication incidence than previously reported for thoracic, thoracolumbar, and lumbar spine operations. A prospective approach and a broad definition of perioperative complications increased the recorded incidence of perioperative adverse events and complications. The case complexity of a tertiary referral center may also have escalated the increased incidence. Complications were more common in patients undergoing anterior and anterior/posterior procedures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective To determine national trends for patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and pulmonary complications including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to sample 193,209 admissions for SAH with and without ARDS during the period 1993–2008 using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification coding. A multivariate stepwise regression analysis was performed. Results The incidence of ARDS in patients with SAH increased from 35.51% in 1993 to 37.60% in 2008. However, the overall mortality in patients with SAH and in patients with SAH and ARDS decreased in the same period, from 42.30% to 31.99% and from 75.13% to 60.76%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the predictors of developing ARDS in patients with SAH include older age; larger hospital size; and comorbidities such as epilepsy, cardiac arrest, sepsis, congestive heart failure, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hematologic dysfunction, renal dysfunction, and neurologic dysfunction. Predictors of mortality in patients with SAH include age and hospital complications, such as coronary artery disease, ARDS, cancer, hematologic dysfunction, and renal dysfunction. Conclusions Patients with SAH are at increased risk of developing ARDS. The identification of certain risk factors may alert and aid practitioners in preventing worsening disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]