• John Di Capua, Sulaiman Somani, Jun S Kim, Kevin Phan, Nathan J Lee, Parth Kothari, and Samuel K Cho.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
• Spine. 2017 Sep 1; 42 (17): 1347-1354.

Study DesignRetrospective study of prospectively collected data.ObjectiveTo identify risk factors for the development of any major complication after elective posterior lumbar fusion (PLF).Summary Of Background DataPLF is one of the most performed fusion techniques with utilization rates increasing by 356% between 1993 and 2001. Surgical and anesthetic advances have made the option of surgery more accessible for elderly patients with a larger comorbidity burden. Identifying risk factors for the development of major complications after elective PLF is important for patient risk stratification and patient safety efforts.MethodsThe 2011 to 2014 American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried using Current Procedural Terminology codes 22612, 22630, and 22633. Patients were divided into two cohorts based on the development of any major complication. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify predictors for the development of ≥ 1, ≥ 2, and ≥ 3 major complications.ResultsA total of 7761 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study of which, 2055 (26.5%) patients developed one major complication, 249 (3.2%) patients developed two major complications, and 151 (1.9%) patients developed three major complications. The most common complication was intra/postoperative red blood cell transfusion (23.2%). Three multivariate logistic regression models were employed to identify factors associated with ≥ 1, ≥ 2, and ≥ 3 major complications. Patient variables present across all three models were osteotomy, pelvic fixation, operation time ≥4 hours, bleeding disorder, and American Society of Anesthesiology Class ≥ 3.ConclusionSeveral risk factors were identified for the development of major complications after elective PLF. Identification of these factors can improve the selection of appropriate surgical candidates, patient risk stratification, and patient postoperative safety.Level Of Evidence3.

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