• David Love, Jacob Bruckner, Ivan Ye, Alexandra E Thomson, Alex Pu, Daniel Cavanaugh, Eugene Koh, Daniel Gelb, and Steven Ludwig.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2021 Oct 1; 154: e649-e655.

ObjectiveEvaluate if dural tears (DTs) are an indirect risk factor for venous thromboembolic disease through increased recumbency in patients undergoing elective lumbar decompression and instrumented fusion.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing elective lumbar decompression and instrumented fusion at a single institution between 2016 and 2019. Patients were divided into cohorts: those who sustained a dural tear and those who did not. The cohorts were compared using Student's t-test or Wilcoxon Rank Sum for continuous variables and Fisher exact or chi-squared test for nominal variables.ResultsSix-hundred and eleven patients met inclusion criteria, among which 144 patients (23.6%) sustained a DT. The DT cohort tended to be older (63.6 vs. 60.6 years, P = 0.0052) and have more comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index 2.75 vs. 2.35, P = 0.0056). There was no significant difference in the rate of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (2.1% vs. 2.6%, P = 1.0) or pulmonary embolus (1.4% vs. 1.50%, P = 1.0). Intraoperatively, DT was associated with increased blood loss (754 mL vs. 512 mL, P < 0.0001), operative time (224 vs. 195 minutes, P < 0.0001), and rate of transfusion (19.4% vs. 9.4%, P = 0.0018). Postoperatively, DT was associated with increased time to ambulation (2.6 vs. 1.4 days, P < 0.0001), length of stay (5.8 vs. 4.0 days, P < 0.0001), and rate of discharge to rehab (38.9 vs. 25.3%, P = 0.0021).ConclusionsWhile DTs during elective lumbar decompression and instrumentation led to later ambulation and longer hospital stays, the increased recumbency did not significantly increase the rate of symptomatic venous thromboembolic disease.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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