• Michael C Fu, Rafael A Buerba, and Jonathan N Grauer.
• *Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY†Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA‡Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.
• J Spinal Disord Tech. 2016 May 1; 29 (4): 167-72.

Study DesignRetrospective analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), a prospectively collected multicenter surgical outcomes database.ObjectiveTo determine the effect of preoperative nutritional status, as measured by serum albumin concentration, on outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).Summary Of Background DataNutritional status has been shown to be an important predictor of postoperative recovery and outcomes. Serum albumin concentration is an established marker of overall nutrition and systemic disease, however, its correlation to outcomes following ACDF is unknown.MethodsACDF cases from 2005 to 2010 were identified in the NSQIP and categorized by preoperative serum albumin: normal (≥3.5 g/dL), hypoalbuminemic (<3.5 g/dL), or not measured. Independent demographic and comorbidity variables were assessed, including American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification. Risk factors for major postoperative complications were identified, including preoperative hypoalbuminemia, and incorporated into a multivariable logistic regression model to determine the strength of preoperative hypoalbuminemia as an adjusted predictor of major postoperative complications.ResultsThere were 3671 ACDF cases, of which 1382 (37.6%) had preoperative albumin measurements. Patients with albumin measurements were older and more likely to have higher ASA class, hypertension, and diabetes. Hypoalbuminemic patients had higher rates of having any major postoperative complication(s), specifically pulmonary complications, cardiac complications, and reoperation, relative to those with normal albumin (all P<0.01). These patients also had longer lengths of stay (5.0 vs. 1.9 d). With multivariable regression, preoperative hypoalbuminemia was a strong independent predictor of major postoperative complications, with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.37 (P=0.003).ConclusionsIn this analysis of a prospective surgical outcomes database, preoperative serum hypoalbuminemia was an important adjunct predictor of major complications following ACDF. In high-risk patients with multiple medical comorbidities, we recommend that clinicians consider nutritional screening and optimization as part of preoperative risk assessment.

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