Association of telomere length with risk of complications in adult spinal deformity surgery: a pilot study of 43 patients.

OBJECTIVE: Risk stratification is a critical element of surgical planning. Early tools were fairly crude, while newer instruments incorporate disease-specific elements and markers of frailty. It is unknown if discrepancies between chronological and cellular age can guide surgical planning or treatment. Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes that serve an important role in protecting genomic DNA. Their shortening is a consequence of aging and environmental exposures, with well-established associations with diseases of aging and mortality. There are compelling data to suggest that telomere length can provide insight toward overall health. The authors sought to determine potential associations between telomere length and postoperative complications. METHODS: Adults undergoing elective surgery for spinal deformity were prospectively enrolled. Telomere length was measured from preoperative whole blood using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and expressed as the ratio of telomere (T) to single-copy gene (S) abundance (T/S ratio), with higher T/S ratios indicating longer telomere length. Demographic and patient data included age, BMI, and results for the following rating scales: the Adult Spinal Deformity Frailty Index (ASD-FI), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Scoliosis Research Society-22r (SRS-22r), American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) classification, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Operative and postoperative complication data (medical or surgical within 90 days) were also collected. RESULTS: Forty-three patients were enrolled, including 31 women (53%), with a mean age of 66 years and a mean BMI of 28.5. The mean number of levels fused was 11, with 21 (48.8%) combined anterior-posterior approaches. Twenty-two patients (51.2%) had a medical or surgical complication. Patients with a postoperative complication had a significantly lower T/S ratio (0.712 vs 0.813, p = 0.008), indicating shorter telomere length, despite a mild difference in age compared with patients without a postoperative complication (68 vs 63 years, p = 0.069). Patients with complications also had higher CCI scores than patients without complications (2.3 vs 3.8, p = 0.004). There were no significant differences in sex, BMI, ASD-FI score, ASA class, preoperative ODI and SRS-22r scores, number of levels fused, or use of three-column osteotomies. In a multivariate model including age, frailty, ASA class, use of an anterior-posterior approach, CCI score, and telomere length, the authors found that short telomere length was significantly associated with postoperative complications. Patients whose telomere length fell in the shortest quartile had the highest risk (OR 18.184, p = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: Short telomere length was associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications despite only a mild difference in chronological age. Increasing comorbidity scores also trended toward significance. Larger prospective studies are needed; however, these data provide a compelling impetus to investigate the role of biological aging as a component of surgical risk stratification.

Tranexamic Acid for Treatment of Residual Subdural Hematoma After Bedside Twist-Drill Evacuation.

BACKGROUND: Management of nonemergent, nonacute subdural hematomas (SDHs) ranges from observation to burr-hole evacuation or craniotomy, but recurrence rates are high. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of tranexamic acid (TXA) for the treatment of residual SDHs after bedside twist-drill evacuation. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database from November 2013 to November 2014 for all patients who underwent placement of a bedside subdural evacuating port system (SEPS) followed by treatment with oral TXA (650 mg daily). All demographics, evidence of venous thromboembolism, and volumes of pertinent computed tomography were obtained. RESULTS: Twenty subdural hematomas in 14 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. Most SDHs were mixed density. Mean SDH volume on presentation was 145.96 ± 40.22 cm(3) with a mean midline shift of 9.44 ± 4.84 mm. Mean volumes decreased to 80.00 ± 31.96 cm(3) and midline shift improved to 4.44 ± 3.29 mm after SEPS placement (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0046). All patients were placed on TXA after their procedure. Mean follow-up with computed tomography was 92.1 ± 27.5 days, and mean SDH volume at last follow-up was 7.41 ± 15.54 cm(3) with a mean midline shift of 0.19 ± 0.69 mm (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0002). Percent volume reduction was significantly higher after TXA than after SEPS (91.31% vs. 40.74%; P < 0.0001). No increase or delayed recurrence of the SDH was noted during TXA treatment. All but 1 clinical presenting symptom improved at follow-up. No venous thromboembolisms were noted among the patients. CONCLUSIONS: In our pilot study, chronic SDH volumes were reduced by 40.74% after SEPS drainage. The residual volume was reduced by an additional 91.31% during oral TXA treatment. No patients developed delayed recurrence or expansion of their SDHs. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the role of TXA for adjunctive treatment of chronic SDHs.