Time to Surgery for Unstable Thoracolumbar Fractures in Latin America-A Multicentric Study.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify delays for surgery to stabilize unstable thoracolumbar fractures and the main reasons for them across Latin America. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of 547 patients with type B or C thoracolumbar fractures from 21 spine centers across 9 Latin American countries. Data were collected on demographics, mechanism of trauma, time between hospital arrival and surgery, type of hospital (public vs. private), fracture classification, spinal level of injury, neurologic status (American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale), number of levels instrumented, and reason for delay between hospital arrival and surgical treatment. RESULTS: The sample included 403 men (73.6%) and 144 women (26.3%), with a mean age of 40.6 years. The main mechanism of trauma was falls (44.4%), followed by car accidents (24.5%). The most frequent pattern of injury was B2 injuries (46.6%), and the most affected level was T12-L1 (42.2%). Neurologic status at admission was 60.5% intact and 22.9% American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale A. The time from admission to surgery was >72 hours in over half the patients and over a week in >25% of them. The most commonly reported reasons for surgical delay were clinical instability (22.9%), lack of operating room availability (22.7%), and lack of hardware for spinal instrumentation (e.g., screws/rods) (18.8%). CONCLUSIONS: Timing for surgery in this sample of unstable fractures was over 72 hours in more than half of the sample and longer than a week in about a quarter. The main reasons for this delay were clinical instability and lack of economic resources. There is an apparent need for increased funding for the treatment of spinal trauma patients in Latin America.

Multilanguage health record database focused on the active follow-up of patients and adaptable for patient-reported outcomes and clinical research design.

INTRODUCTION: A dataset with patient information allows a comparison between different clinical treatments in many fields of medicine as well as the effective use of medical resources. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) collect data directly from patients for use in clinical practice by helping decision making and tailoring treatments according to the patients' needs. The authors present a novel database to overcome data collection related barriers, calculating automatically the questionnaire results, displayed in graphics on the patients' dashboard in real time, and focused on the active follow of the patients. OBJECTIVE: To present electronic health record database for monitoring clinical or surgical interventions and assess the usability. METHODOLOGY: Process modeling and specification of system requirements were performed using the Iconix methodology along with the Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ) to validate the usability and usefulness of the proposed system. The system and the questionnaires were performed in three languages: Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and English. RESULTS: The database enables researchers to use the questionnaires defining the time of data collection according to the needs of each clinical study. The system facilitates the patient answers without any personal interference from smartphones, tablets or computers. The questionnaire scores were calculated automatically in real time and displayed in graphics on the patients' dashboard. The evaluation of the usability and usefulness of the developed database used 8 people divided into two equal groups (4 physicians and 4 medical students). CONCLUSION: The proposed electronic health record database allows a friendly and flexible use of PROMs according to the population, needs in practice and clinical settings. The platform promotes active and direct data collection from patients and physicians in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Surgery for adult spinal scoliosis: do the benefits outweigh the risks? / Cirurgia em adultos com escoliose: os benefícios são maiores que os riscos? / Cirugía para la escoliosis espinal en adultos: ¿los beneficios son superiores a los riesgos?

ABSTRACT Around 6% of the elderly population over 65 years of age are affected by adult spinal deformity (ASD). The increasing prevalence of ASD with aging has prompted discussion regarding the use of various techniques for its treatment, such as surgery and conservative treatment. The objective of this study is to investigate whether surgical treatment demonstrates significant benefits as compared to conservative treatment. A literature review was conducted, focusing on the most relevant papers on the topic published in the last five years. Surgical treatment, which costs an average of US$ 99,114 per procedure, enables almost instant improvement of the pain and disability of ASD. The rate of perioperative complications in ASD is approximately 7.5%, and the average improvement in back pain is 6.2 times higher in the surgical approach than in conservative treatment. In addition, the use of modern operative techniques, such as minimally invasive surgery (MIS), reduces the complications and greatly improves patients' quality of life, compared to open surgery. Therefore, the expected benefits of surgical treatment meets the patient's expectations by eliminating the pain caused by ASD. Although surgical treatment has a higher cost and a greater risk of complications, the use of minimally invasive techniques give the ASD patient a better quality of life. Level of evidence III; Non-Systematic Review.

RESUMO Adultos com deformidade na coluna (ASD) representam cerca de 6% da população idosa com mais de 65 anos de idade. Assim, a crescente prevalência da doença com o envelhecimento leva à uma discussão sobre o uso de várias técnicas para tratar ASD, como cirurgia e tratamento conservador. O objetivo deste estudo é verificar se os benefícios do tratamento cirúrgico mostram melhora significativa em relação ao tratamento conservador. Foi realizada uma revisão da literatura dos trabalhos mais relevantes dos últimos 5 anos, que eram pertinentes ao tema do presente estudo. Com um custo médio de US$ 99,114 por procedimento, o tratamento cirúrgico permite a melhora instantânea da dor e da incapacidade causada aos ASD e apresenta uma taxa de complicações perioperatórias de aproximadamente 7.5% . A média de melhora na dor nas costas é 6.2 vezes maior na abordagem cirúrgica do que o apresentado pelo tratamento conservador. Além disso, o uso de modernas técnicas operatórias, como a cirurgia minimamente invasiva (MIS), que permite a diminuição das complicações e uma melhora muito superior na qualidade de vida, diferentemente da cirurgia aberta. Assim, o ganho esperado com o tratamento cirúrgico atende as expectativas do paciente ao eliminar o processo doloroso nos ASD. A escolha pelo tratamento cirúrgico, apesar de apresentar um custo mais elevado e um maior risco de complicações, e o uso de técnicas minimamente invasivas, permitem ao paciente ASD uma melhor qualidade de vida. Nível de evidência III; Revisão não Sistemática.

RESUMEN Alrededor del 6% de las personas mayores de 65 años de edad se ven afectadas por la deformidad espinal adulta (DEA). La creciente prevalencia de DEA con el envejecimiento ha impulsado la discusión sobre el uso de diversas técnicas para su tratamiento, como la cirugía y el tratamiento conservador. El objetivo de este estudio es investigar si el tratamiento quirúrgico demuestra beneficios significativos en comparación con el tratamiento conservador. Una revisión de la literatura, centrada en los artículos más relevantes se llevó a cabo en los últimos cinco años. Con un costo promedio de US$ 99.114, el tratamiento quirúrgico permite una mejora casi instantánea del dolor y la discapacidad de de DEA. La tasa de complicaciones perioperatorias la DEA es aproximadamente del 7,5%, y la mejoría promedio en el dolor de espalda es 6,2 veces mayor en el tratamiento quirúrgico que en el tratamiento conservador. Además, el uso de técnicas quirúrgicas modernas, como cirugía mínimamente invasiva (CMI) reduce las complicaciones y mejora en gran medida la calidad de vida de los pacientes en comparación con la cirugía abierta. Por lo tanto, los beneficios esperados del tratamiento quirúrgico cumplen con las expectativas del paciente al eliminar el dolor causado por la DEA. Aunque el tratamiento quirúrgico tiene un costo más elevado y un mayor riesgo de complicaciones, el uso de técnicas mínimamente invasivas permite que el paciente con DEA tenga una mejor calidad de vida. Nivel de evidencia III; Revisión no Sistemática.

Epidemiology and Management of Spinal Trauma in Children and Adolescents <18 Years Old.

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study reports the epidemiology, clinical aspects, and management of spinal trauma in children and adolescents. METHODS: Multicenter study of 215 cases of spinal trauma in individuals <18 years of age. All patients were submitted to preoperative and postoperative radiologic and clinical evaluation. The fractures were classified according to the AOSpine fracture classification. Neurological evaluation was performed using the Frankel scale at admission to hospital and at the last follow-up. RESULTS: Mean age was 14.7 (± 2.5) years and most of the patients were male (72.6%). Falls were responsible for 52.6% of the spinal trauma. Compression fracture was the most common type of fracture, observed in 48.4% of the cases. Most spinal fractures were located at the thoracic level (58.7%). Associated injuries were observed in 37.2% of the cases. The complication rates were 15.8%. Normal neurological examination was observed in 160 cases (74.4%) at the final follow-up. Neurological impairment was mostly observed due to shallow water diving, dislocation fractures types, and fractures located between the lower cervical spine and the thoracic spine. Surgical treatment was performed in 73.8% of the cases. Better neurological outcome was observed in fractures due to falls, fractures located in the upper cervical (C1-C2) and lower lumbar spine injuries (L3-L5). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment is often necessary in children and adolescents after spinal trauma. Higher incidence of spinal cord injury was observed after shallow water diving, fractures located in the lower cervical spine and thoracic spine, and type B and C fractures.

Current Status of Worldwide Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in Spine Care.

OBJECTIVES: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are the most widely accepted means of measuring outcomes after spine procedures. We sought to determine the current status of worldwide use of PROMs in Latin America (LA), Europe (EU), Asia Pacific (AP), North America (NA), and Middle East (ME) to determine the barrier to its full implementation. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was sent by e-mail to members of AOSpine to evaluate their familiarity and use of PROMs instruments and to assess the barriers to their use in spine care practice in LA, EU, AP, NA, and ME. RESULTS: A total of 1634 AOSpine members from LA, EU, AP, NA, and ME answered the electronic questionnaire. The percentage of spine surgeons who were familiar with the generic health-related quality of life questionnaire was 71.7%. In addition, 31.9% of respondents did not use any PROMs routinely. The main barriers to implementing PROMs were lack of time to administer the questionnaires (57%) followed by lack of staff to assist in data collection (55%), and the long time to fill out the questionnaires (46%). The routine use of questionnaires was more frequent in NA and EU and less common in LA and ME (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that 31.9% of spine surgeons do not use the PROMs questionnaire routinely. This appears to occur because of lack of knowledge regarding their importance, absence of reimbursement for this extra work, minimal financial support for clinical research, the cost of implementation, and lack of concern among physicians.

Economic value of treating lumbar disc herniation in Brazil.

OBJECT: Lumbar discectomy is one of the most common surgical spine procedures. In order to understand the value of this surgical care, it is important to understand the costs to the health care system and patient for good results. The objective of this study was to evaluate for the first time the cost-effectiveness of spine surgery in Latin America for lumbar discectomy in terms of cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained for patients in Brazil. METHODS: The authors performed a prospective cohort study involving 143 consecutive patients who underwent open discectomy for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Patient-reported outcomes were assessed utilizing the SF-6D, which is derived from a 12-month variation of the SF-36. Direct medical costs included medical reimbursement, costs of hospital care, and overall resource consumption. Disability losses were considered indirect costs. A 4-year horizon with 3% discounting was applied to health-utilities estimates. Sensitivity analysis was performed by varying utility gain by 20%. The costs were expressed in Reais (R$) and US dollars ($), applying an exchange rate of 2.4:1 (the rate at the time of manuscript preparation). RESULTS: The direct and indirect costs of open lumbar discectomy were estimated at an average of R$3426.72 ($1427.80) and R$2027.67 ($844.86), respectively. The mean total cost of treatment was estimated at R$5454.40 ($2272.66) (SD R$2709.17 [$1128.82]). The SF-6D utility gain was 0.044 (95% CI 0.03197-0.05923, p = 0.017) at 12 months. The 4-year discounted QALY gain was 0.176928. The estimated cost-utility ratio was R$30,828.35 ($12,845.14) per QALY gained. The sensitivity analysis showed a range of R$25,690.29 ($10,714.28) to R$38,535.44 ($16,056.43) per QALY gained. CONCLUSIONS: The use of open lumbar discectomy to treat LDH is associated with a significant improvement in patient outcomes as measured by the SF-6D. Open lumbar discectomy performed in the Brazilian supplementary health care system provides a cost-utility ratio of R$30,828.35 ($12,845.14) per QALY. The value of acceptable cost-effectiveness will vary by country and region.

Perspective of Value-Based Management of Spinal Disorders in Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: The state of value-based management of spinal disorders and ongoing Brazilian strategies toward its implementation are highlighted in this article. METHODS: The health care system, economic impact of spine surgery, use of patient-reported outcomes, ongoing studies about health economics, and current strategies toward implementation of quality assessment of spine care in Brazil are reviewed. RESULTS: During the past 20 years, there has been an increase of 226% in the number and 540% in the total cost of spine surgeries in the public health system. Examples of economic regulatory mechanisms involve the process of health technology assessment and the auditing processes imposed by health insurance companies. Some barriers to implementing clinical registries were identified from a large Latin American survey. Strategies based on education and technical support have been conducted to improve the quality of comparative-effectiveness research in spine care. Only 1 cost-utility study on spine care has been published until now. CONCLUSIONS: The paradigm of value-based management of spinal disorders is still incipient in Brazil. Some issues from our analysis must be emphasized: (1) Brazil presents many regional disparities and scarce resources for health care; it is crucial for the health system to allocate resources based on the value of interventions; (2) because of the high economic and social burden of developing new technologies for diagnosis and treatment, research in health economics of spine care in Brazil should be prioritized; (3) these efforts would help to provide a more accessible and effective health system for patients with spinal problems.

Brazilian physicians hold national strike against medical insurance companies.

The Brazilian Health System has two different forms of access, public and private. The purpose of the public health system is to provide universal, complete access, free of charge, for the entire population. The private sector is composed by people who have private insurance. Nowadays, about 43 million Brazilians, or 26.3% of the population, have private health insurance. The main motivations of the physicians for the strike were the low payment for medical services and the constant interference of the private health insurance companies in medical autonomy. For this reason, Brazilian physicians held a 24-hour strike against the Medical Insurance Companies that did not accept to negotiate new fees in almost all Brazilian states. At least 120,000 physicians from all specialties stopped elective activities during that day, only providing urgent or emergency care. It is estimated that the strike affected 25 to 35 million Brazilians, about 76% of the total number of medical insurance users.