Quality of in-hospital care in traumatic spinal column and cord injuries (TSC/SCI) in I.R Iran.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to implement the Quality of Care (QoC) Assessment Tool from the National Spinal Cord/Column Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) to map the current state of in-hospital QoC of individuals with Traumatic Spinal Column and Cord Injuries (TSCCI). METHODS: The QoC Assessment Tool, developed from a scoping review of the literature, was implemented in NSCIR-IR. We collected the required data from two primary sources. Questions regarding health system structures and care processes were completed by the registrar nurse reviewing the hospital records. Questions regarding patient outcomes were gathered through patient interviews. RESULTS: We registered 2812 patients with TSCCI over six years from eight referral hospitals in NSCIR-IR. The median length of stay in the general hospital and intensive care unit was four and five days, respectively. During hospitalization 4.2% of patients developed pressure ulcers, 83.5% of patients reported satisfactory pain control and none had symptomatic urinary tract infections. 100%, 80%, and 90% of SCI registration centers had 24/7 access to CT scans, MRI scans, and operating rooms, respectively. Only 18.8% of patients who needed surgery underwent a surgical operation in the first 24 h after admission. In-hospital mortality rate for patients with SCI was 19.3%. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that the current in-hospital care of our patients with TSCCI is acceptable in terms of pain control, structure and length of stay and poor regarding in-hospital mortality rate and timeliness. We must continue to work on lowering rates of pressure sores, as well as delays in decompression surgery and fatalities.

Post-discharge follow-up of patients with spine trauma in the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and lessons learned.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) is to create an infrastructure to assess the quality of care for spine trauma and in this study, we aim to investigate whether the NSCIR-IR successfully provides necessary post-discharge follow-up data for these patients. METHODS: An observational prospective study was conducted from April 11, 2021 to April 22, 2022 in 8 centers enrolled in NSCIR-IR, respectively Arak, Rasht, Urmia, Shahroud, Yazd, Kashan, Tabriz, and Tehran. Patients were classified into three groups based on their need for care resources, respectively: (1) non-spinal cord injury (SCI) patients without surgery (group 1), (2) non-SCI patients with surgery (group 2), and (3) SCI patients (group 3). The assessment tool was a self-designed questionnaire to evaluate the care quality in 3 phases: pre-hospital, in-hospital, and post-hospital. The data from the first 2 phases were collected through the registry. The post-hospital data were collected by conducting follow-up assessments. Telephone follow-ups were conducted for groups 1 and 2 (non-SCI patients), while group 3 (SCI patients) had a face-to-face visit. This study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on age and time interval from injury to follow-up were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) and response rate and follow-up loss as a percentage. RESULTS: Altogether 1538 telephone follow-up records related to 1292 patients were registered in the NSCIR-IR. Of the total calls, 918 (71.05%) were related to successful follow-ups, but 38 cases died and thus were excluded from data analysis. In the end, post-hospital data from 880 patients alive were gathered. The success rate of follow-ups by telephone for groups 1 and 2 was 73.38% and 67.05% respectively, compared to 66.67% by face-to-face visits for group 3, which was very hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data completion rate after discharge ranged from 48% to 100%, 22%-100% and 29%-100% for groups 1 - 3. CONCLUSIONS: To improve patient accessibility, NSCIR-IR should take measures during data gathering to increase the accuracy of registered contact information. Regarding the loss to follow-ups of SCI patients, NSCIR-IR should find strategies for remote assessment or motivate them to participate in follow-ups through, for example, providing transportation facilities or financial support.

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this research was to explore the role of Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: From inception to 4 June 2023, PubMed, Web of Science, and ProQuest were searched for papers comparing NLR in PD to healthy individuals. Standardized mean difference (SMD) with a confidence interval (CI) of 95% were calculated. RESULTS: A random-effect model revealed that PD patients had elevated NLR values compared to healthy individuals (SMD = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.47 to 1.14, P < 0.001). The results of subgroup analysis were as follows: (1) study design: We observed that patients with PD had higher levels of NLR than healthy controls in either retrospective (SMD = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.58 to 1.66, P < 0.001) or prospective (SMD = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.18 to 0.68, P = 0.001) studies. (2) Ethnicity: We noticed that individuals with PD had higher levels of NLR than healthy controls, whether they were East Asian (SMD = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.22 to 1.63, P = 0.010) or Caucasian (SMD = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.40 to 1.10, P < 0.001).The pooled sensitivity of NLR in the prediction of PD was 0.67 (95% CI = 0.61-0.73), and the pooled specificity was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.61-0.70). CONCLUSIONS: Increased levels of NLR is highly related with the presence of PD. Further research is needed to determine the potential clinical benefits of this simple and low-cost biomarker in the PD diagnosis.

In-hospital mortality rate in subaxial cervical spinal cord injury patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To determine existing trends concerning in-hospital mortality in patients with traumatic subaxial cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) over the last four decades. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE to assess the role of the following factors on in-hospital mortality over the last four decades: neurological deficit, age, surgical decompression, use of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), use of methylprednisolone in the acute post-injury period, and study location (developing versus developed countries). RESULTS: Among 3333 papers after deduplication, 21 studies met the eligibility criteria. The mortality rate was 17.88% [95% confidence interval (CI): 12.9-22.87%]. No significant trend in mortality rate was observed over the 42-year period (meta-regression coefficient = 0.317; p = 0.372). Subgroup analysis revealed no significant association between acute subaxial cervical SCI-related mortality when stratified by use of surgery, administration of methylprednisolone, use of MRI and CT imaging, study design (prospective versus retrospective study), and study location. The mortality rate was significantly higher in complete SCI (20.66%, p = 0.002) and American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) A (20.57%) and B (9.28%) (p = 0.028). CONCLUSION: A very low level of evidence showed that in-hospital mortality in patients with traumatic subaxial cervical SCI did not decrease over the last four decades despite diagnostic and therapeutic advancements. The overall acute mortality rate following subaxial cervical SCI is 17.88%. We recommend reporting a stratified mortality rate according to key factors such as treatment paradigms, age, and severity of injury in future studies.

Development of a comprehensive assessment tool to measure the quality of care for individuals with traumatic spinal cord injuries.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a comprehensive assessment tool to evaluate the Quality of Care (QoC) in managing individuals with traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI). METHOD: At first, the concepts of QoC for TSCI were identified by conducting a qualitative interview along with re-evaluation of the results of a published scoping review (conceptualization). After operationalization of indicators, they were valued by using the expert panel method. Afterward, the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) were calculated and served as cut-offs for indicator selection. Then specific questions were developed for each indicator and classified into three categories: pre-hospital, in-hospital, and post-hospital. Data availability of the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) was subsequently used to design questions that represent indicators in an assessment tool format. The comprehensiveness of the tool was evaluated using a 4-item Likert scale by the expert panel. RESULT: Twelve experts participated in conceptualization and 11 experts participated in operationalization phase. Overall, 94 concepts for QoC were identified from published scoping review (87 items) and qualitative interviews (7 items). The process of operationalization and indicator selection led to the development of 27 indicators with acceptable content validity. Finally, the assessment tool contained three pre-hospital, twelve in-hospital, nine post-hospital, and three mixed indicators. Ninety-one percent of experts evaluated the entire tool as comprehensive. CONCLUSION: Our study presents a health-related QoC tool that contains a comprehensive set of indicators to assess the QoC for individuals with TSCI. However, this tool should be used in various situations to establish construct validity further.

Adopting and adapting clinical practice guidelines for timing of decompressive surgery in acute spinal cord injury from a developed world context to a developing region.

PURPOSE: The proper application of high-quality clinical practice guidelines improves trauma patients' care and outcomes. This study aimed to adopt and adapt guidelines on the timing of decompressive surgery in acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in Iranian clinical settings. METHODS: This study followed a systematic search and review of the literature to enter them into the selection process. The source guidelines' clinical suggestions were converted into clinical scenarios for clinical questions on the timing of decompressive surgery. After summarizing the scenarios, we prepared an initial list of recommendations based on the status of the Iranian patients and the health system. The ultimate conclusion was reached with the help of a national interdisciplinary expert panel comprising 20 experts throughout the country. RESULTS: A total of 408 records were identified. After title and abstract screening, 401 records were excluded, and the full texts of the remaining seven records were reviewed. Based on our screening process, only one guideline included recommendations on the topic of interest. All of the recommendations were accepted by the expert panel with slight changes due to resource availability in Iran. The final two recommendations were the consideration of early surgery (≤24 h) as a treatment option in adult patients with traumatic central cord syndrome and in adult patients with acute SCI regardless of the level of injury. CONCLUSION: Considering early surgery for adult patients with acute traumatic SCI regardless of the level of injury was the final recommendation for Iran. Although most of the recommendations are adoptable in developing countries, issues with infrastructure and availability of resources are the limitations.

Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Epilepsy: A Systematic Review.

This study was conducted to summarize the results of studies investigating the role of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in epilepsy. The search was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to December 25, 2021. Finally, a total of seven studies were included in the review. The NLR in patients who were in the acute phase was higher than that of healthy. NLR in the patients who were in either acute or subacute phase was higher than in healthy controls. A significant difference in NLR levels between the acute and subacute phases was also noted. Epilepsy is one of the most important neurological diseases in the world, and millions of people around the world suffer from it, and a cheap and fast biomarker is needed for it. The interesting thing is that inflammation plays a role in epilepsy, and elevated NLR value can be a good biomarker of inflammation and, as a result, for epilepsy.

Long-Term Outcomes of Laminectomy in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patients suffer from significant pain and disability. To assess long-term safety and efficacy of laminectomy in LSS patients, a systematic review and meta-analysis study was conducted. Methods Literature review in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases was performed using a predefined search strategy. Articles were included if they met the following characteristics: human studies, LSS, and at least 5 years of follow-up. Outcome measures included patient satisfaction, pain, disability, claudication, reoperation rates, and complications. Results Twelve articles met the eligibility criteria for our study. Overall, there was low-quality evidence that patients undergoing laminectomy, with at least 5 years of follow-up, have significantly more satisfaction, and less pain and disability, compared with the preoperative baseline. Assessment of neurogenic intermittent claudication showed significant improvement in walking abilities. We also reviewed the postoperative complication and adverse events in the included studies. After meta-analysis was performed, the reoperation rate was found to be 14% (95% confidence interval: 13-16%). Conclusion Our study provides low-quality evidence suggesting that patients undergoing laminectomy for LSS have less disability and pain and can be more physically active postoperatively.

Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Early Neurological Deterioration in Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

In light of the growing emphasis on classifying stroke patients for different levels of monitoring intensity and emergency treatments, we conducted a systematic review of a wide range of clinical studies, according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, with no restrictions on the language or publication date, to analyze the potential of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as an early neurological deterioration (END) risk predictor. A comprehensive search was carried out in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from the inception to March 13, 2022. Nine articles were included in our study. Stroke patients with END had significantly higher NLR levels than the those without END (SMD = 0.73; CI 95% = 0.42-1.05, P value < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, according to ethnicity, East Asian patients with END had elevated levels of NLR compared to those without END (SMD = 0.79; CI 95% = 0.52-1.06, P value < 0.001). However, the difference in the Caucasian group was not significant (SMD = 0.60; CI 95% = -0.50-1.70, P value = 0.28). In the subgroup analysis according to the type of stroke, the NLR levels in patients with hemorrhagic stroke who developed END were similar to those without END (SMD = 0.84, CI 95% = -0.10-1.77, P value = 0.07). Vice versa, in the ischemic stroke group, patients with END had elevated levels of NLR compared to those without END (SMD = 0.67, CI 95% = 0.38-0.96, P value < 0.001). NLR is a unique inflammatory biomarker whose increase in END suggests an immune system dysfunction in the pathogenesis of the disease.

The effectiveness of different types of motorcycle helmets - A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Protective helmets may reduce the risk of death and head injury in motorcycle collisions. However, there remains a large gap in knowledge regarding the effectiveness of different types of helmets in preventing injuries. OBJECTIVE: To explore and evaluate the effectiveness of different types of motorcycle helmets; that is the association between different helmet types and the incidence and severity of head, neck, and facial injuries among motorcyclists. Also, to explore the effect of different helmet types on riders. METHODS: A systematic search of different scientific databases was conducted from 1965 to April 2019. A scoping review was performed on the included articles. Eligible articles were included regarding defined criteria. Study characteristics, helmet types, fixation status, retention system, the prevention of injury or reduction of its severity were extracted. RESULTS: A total of 137 studies were included. There was very limited evidence for the better protection of full-face helmets from head and facial injury compared to open-face and half-coverage helmets. There was however scarce evidence for the superiority of a certain helmet type over others in terms of protection from neck injury. The retention system and the fixation status of helmets were two important factors affecting the risk of head and brain injury in motorcyclists. Helmets could also affect and limit the riders in terms of vision, hearing, and ventilation. Multiple solutions have been discussed to mitigate these effects. CONCLUSION: Full-face helmets may protect head and face in motorcycle riders more than open-face and half-coverage helmets, but there is not enough evidence for better neck protection among these three helmet types. Helmets can affect the rider's vision, hearing, and ventilation. When designing a helmet, all of these factors should be taken into account.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor as a therapeutic target after traumatic spinal cord injury: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Macrophages play an important role in mediating damage after Spinal cord injury (SCI) by secreting macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MMIF) as a secondary injury mediator. We aimed to systematically review the role of MMIF as a therapeutic target after traumatic SCI. METHODS: Our systematic review has been performed according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist. A systematic search in the scientific databases was carried out for studies published before 20 February 2019 from major databases. Two researchers independently screened titles. The risk of bias of eligible articles was assessed, and data were extracted. Finally, we systematically analyzed and interpreted related data. RESULTS: 785 papers were selected for the title and abstract screening. 12 papers were included for data extraction. Eight animal studies were of high quality and the remaining two were of medium quality. One of the two human studies was of poor quality and the other was of fair quality. MMIF as a pro-inflammatory mediator can cause increased susceptibility to glutamate-related neurotoxicity, increased nitrite production, increased ERK activation, and increased COX2/PGE2 signaling pathway activation and subsequent stimulation of CCL5-related chemotaxis. Two human studies and six animal studies demonstrated that MMIF level increases after SCI. MMIF inhibition might be a potential therapeutic target in SCI by multiple different mechanisms (6/12 studies). CONCLUSION: Most animal studies demonstrate significant neurologic improvement after administration of MMIF inhibitors, but these inhibitors have not been studied in humans yet. Further clinical trials are need to further understand MMIF inhibitor utility in acute or chronic SCI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I: Diagnostic: individual cross-sectional studies with the consistently applied reference standard and blinding.

Surgical Approaches to Basilar Apex Aneurysms: An Illustrative Review.

Surgical management of basilar apex aneurysms remains one of the most challenging areas in neurovascular surgery. Technical demands of treating these aneurysms have inspired several generations of neurosurgeons to push the limitations of technical achievement. Advances in neuroanesthesia, cerebral protection paradigms, and critical care management have enhanced surgical outcomes of these lesions. Several approaches have been described to reach these lesions from anterolateral or lateral corridors. Each surgical approach has its own advantages and limitations and should be chosen for each patient according to the aneurysm's position, projection, parent arteries, and perforators. In this review, we will discuss pros and cons of the common approaches to these aneurysms with description of the important steps of each surgical procedure.

Sustaining the National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) in a Regional Center: Challenges and Solutions.

BACKGROUND: The National Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Registry in Iran (NSCIR-IR), was implemented initially in three hospitals as a pilot phase from 11 Oct 2015 to 19 Jun 2016 and has been active in eight centers from 19 Jun 2016. Poursina Hospital, a trauma care referral center in Rasht, Guilan Province of Iran is one of the registry sites, and has been involved in registering eligible patients since 1 Jan 2016. This study aimed to identify the challenges and solutions for sustaining the NSCIR-IR in a regional center. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods study. For the quantitative analysis, a retrospective observational design was used to measure case capture or case identification rate, mapping cases in the registry against those eligible for registry inclusion amongst the register of hospital admissions. For the qualitative component, data was collected using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews, followed by thematic analysis. RESULTS: From 19 Jun 2016 to 24 Jan 2018, the proportion of case capture (case identification rate) was 17%. The median time between case identification and data entry to the system was 30.5 d (range: 2 to 193 d). Thematic analysis identified a lack of trained human resources as the most important cause of low case identification rate and delay in data completion. CONCLUSION: Recruitment and education to increase trained human resources are needed to improve case capture, the timeliness of data input and registry sustainability in a regional participating site.

National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) - a critical appraisal of its strengths and weaknesses.

The National Spinal Cord Injury Registry of Iran (NSCIR-IR) is a not-for-profit, hospital-based, and prospective observational registry that appraises the quality of care, long-term outcomes and the personal and psychological burden of traumatic spinal cord injury in Iran. Benchmarking validity in every registry includes rigorous attention to data quality. Data quality assurance is essential for any registry to make sure that correct patients are being enrolled and that the data being collected are valid. We reviewed strengths and weaknesses of the NSCIR-IR while considering the methodological guidelines and recommendations for efficient and rational governance of patient registries. In summary, the steering committee, funded and maintained by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran, the international collaborations, continued staff training, suitable data quality, and the ethical approval are considered to be the strengths of the registry, while limited human and financial resources, poor interoperability with other health systems, and time-consuming processes are among its main weaknesses.

The Benefits of Decision Tree to Predict Survival in Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme with the Use of Clinical and Imaging Features.

BACKGROUND: Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence which aims to improve machine with the ability of extracting knowledge from the environment. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive primary malignant brain tumors in adults. Due to a low rate of survival in patients with these tumors, machine learning can help physicians for better decision-making. The aim of this paper is to develop a machine learning model for predicting the survival rate of patients with GBM based on clinical features and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present investigation is an observational study conducted to predict the survival rate in patients with GBM in 12 months. Fifty-five patients who were registered in five Iranian Hospitals (Tehran) during 2012-2014 were selected in this study. RESULTS: This study used Cox and C5.0 decision tree models based on clinical features and combined them with MRI. Accuracy, sensitivity, and specification parameters used to evaluate the models. The result of Cox and C5.0 for clinical feature was <32.73%, 22.5%, 45.83%>, <72.73%, 67.74%, 79.19%>, respectively; also, the result of Cox and C5.0 for both features was <60%, 48.58%, 75%>, <90.91%, 96.77%, 88.33%>, respectively. CONCLUSION: Using C5.0 decision tree model in both survival models including clinical features, both the imaging features and the clinical features as the covariates, shows additional predictive values and better results. The tumor width and Karnofsky performance status scores were determined as the most important parameters in the survival prediction of these types of patients.

Mortality Rate and Predicting Factors of Traumatic Thoracolumbar Spinal Cord Injury; A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the summation of mortality rate and the contributing factors in patients with traumatic thoracolumbar spinal cord injuries (TLSCI). METHODS: A systematic search of observational studies that evaluated the mortality associated with TLSCI in MEDLINE and EMBASE was conducted. The study quality was evaluated using a modified quality assessment tool previously designed for observational studies. RESULTS: Twenty-four observational studies involving 11,205 patients were included, published between January 1, 1997, and February 6, 2016. Ten studies were of high quality, thirteen were of moderate quality, and one study was of low quality. Seventeen reports described risk factors for mortality and eleven of these studies used a multiple regression models to adjust for confounders. The reported mortality rate ranged from 0 to 37.7% overall and between 0 and 10.4% in-hospital. The sum of mortality for in-hospital, 6-month, and 12-month were 5.2%, 26.12%, 4.3%, respectively. The mortality at 7.7 years follow-up was 10.07% and for 14 years follow-up reports ranged from 13.47% to 21.46%. Associated data such as age at injury, male to female ratio, pre-existing comorbidities, concomitant injuries, duration of follow-up, and cause of death have been underreported in studies investigating the mortality rate after TLSCI. CONCLUSION: There is no study was found that accurately assessed mortality in the thoracolumbar spine, while there is general agreement that traumatic thoracolumbar spinal cord injuries are important.

Sequestrectomy Versus Conventional Microdiscectomy for the Treatment of a Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Systematic Review.

STUDY DESIGN: A systematic review. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of sequestrectomy versus conventional microdiscectomy for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Open surgery for LDH can be performed by sequestrectomy (removal of disc fragments) or conventional discectomy (removal of disc fragments and disc). Sequestrectomy might be associated with a higher risk of recurrence but less low back pain (LBP) after surgery. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from 1980 to November 2014. We selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and nonrandomized prospective studies of conventional discectomy versus sequestrectomy for adult patients with LDH that evaluated the following primary outcomes: radicular pain or LBP as measured by a visual analog scale, or neurological deficits of the lower extremity. We also evaluated the following secondary outcomes: complications of surgery, reherniation rate, duration of hospital stay, postoperative analgesic use, and health-related quality-of-life measures. Two authors independently reviewed citations and articles for inclusion. We assessed the risk of bias, synthesized data, and the level evidence using standard methodological procedures as recommended by the Cochrane Back Review Group. RESULTS: We identified 5 studies (746 participants) of sequestrectomy versus microdiscectomy. One study was RCT and the other 4 were nonrandomized prospective comparisons; all studies were assessed as being at a high risk of bias. There were no significant differences for leg pain, LBP, functional outcomes, complications, and hospital stay or recurrence rate for 2 years (level of evidence: Low). Sequestrectomy was associated with less analgesic consumption versus discectomy (level of evidence: Very low). CONCLUSION: Sequestrectomy and standard microdiscectomy were associated with similar effects on pain after surgery, recurrence rate, functional outcome, and complications; more evidence is needed to determine whether sequestrectomy is associated with less postoperative analgesic consumption. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2.

The incidence and risk factors for surgical site infection after clean spinal operations: A prospective cohort study and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative infection is one of the most common complications after spine surgeries. In our study, surgical site infection (SSI) is described as; superficial (i.e., skin and subcutaneous tissues) and deep (i.e., fascia and muscles) infections occurring in the short term (i.e., 1-month) after spine surgeries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition 81.00-81.08). To detect the risk factors for the occurrence of such a complication, studies require a large number of patients, a high quality of data and adequate analysis. In this study, we prospectively enrolled 987 patients undergoing spinal surgery over a 3 years period. METHODS: From November 2010 to November 2013, 987 patients had a variety of spinal operations that included; disc herniation, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, fracture-dislocations, spine and spinal cord tumors, and syringomyelia. Patients under the age of 10, those with a recent history of infection and antibiotherapy, and patients with immunodeficiency disorders were excluded. RESULTS: Of the 987 spine procedures performed, 27 (2.73%) developed postoperative infections. Multi-variant data analysis indicated that multiple factors correlated with an increased risk of SSI in descending order; trauma, a past history of diabetes, smoking, being confined to bed, in the perioperative period, mean blood sugar levels above 120 mg/dl, longer lengths of incisions, and longer hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Considering the preventable nature of most of the factors contributing to SSI, it should be possible to reduce these complications.