Study authors examined data from the Nationwide Surgical Quality Improvement Program database to identify patients undergoing spinal fusion from 2011 to 2013. The outpatient and inpatient procedures were matched using a one-to-one propensity score analysis for short term outcomes assessment. There were 6,940 patients included in the study.
Overall, researchers found:
1. Around 4.2 percent of the patients reported complications.
2. Three-quarters of the patients had inpatient hospital stays after surgery; the remaining quarter underwent outpatient procedures.
3. The complication rate was higher among patients who underwent inpatient procedures — 2.5 percent — than outpatient procedures — 1.2 percent.
4. Patients who underwent inpatient surgery were also more likely to have 30-day readmissions than those who underwent outpatient surgery. The 30-day readmission rate for the inpatient group was 2.2 percent, compared with 1.8 percent in the outpatient group.
5. Mortality was 0.1 percent in both groups.
“Outpatient surgery for single-level ACDF is safe and a favorable option for suitable patients,” concluded study authors.
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