Outpatient elective posterior lumbar fusions appear to be safely considered for appropriately selected patients
Bovonratwet P, Ottesen TD, Gala RJ, Rubio DR, Ondeck NT, McLynn RP, Grauer JN. Outpatient elective posterior lumbar fusions appear to be safely considered for appropriately selected patients. The Spine Journal 2017, 18: 1188-1196. PMID: 29155341, DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2017.11.011.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPosterior lumbar fusionPerioperative complicationsPostoperative complicationsNSQIP databaseInterbody fusionLumbar fusionNational Surgical Quality Improvement Program databaseSurgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databaseElective posterior lumbar fusionQuality Improvement Program databasePropensity score-matched comparisonLower blood transfusionMost perioperative complicationsPostoperative adverse eventsRetrospective cohort comparison studyImprovement Program databaseRate of readmissionCareful patient selectionCohort comparison studyPotential confounding factorsInpatient cohortPLF casesHospital lengthPerioperative courseSelect patients