Sociodemographic Characteristics Predict Readmission Rates After Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of social determinants of health (race/ethnicity, household income, insurance) and hospital surgical volume on 30- and 90-day readmissions after lumbar spinal fusion surgery. METHODS: A retrospective review of the State Inpatient Databases (SID) Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) included all patients age ≥18 years who underwent an index lumbar spinal fusion procedure and met inclusion criteria in California (2007-2011), Maryland (2012-2014), Florida, and New York (2007-2014). Primary outcomes were unadjusted rates and adjusted odds of readmission at 30 and 90 days postoperatively. RESULTS: After assessing for exclusion criteria, 267,976 patients were included in analyses. The overall 30-day readmission rate was 7.5%, and the 90-day readmission rate was 11.6%. Black patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.19) and patients with nonprivate insurance (Medicare OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.37-1.51; Medicaid OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.36-1.56; or uninsured OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.00-1.35) had higher odds of 30-day readmission, with comparable effects at 90 days. The three highest quartiles of hospital lumbar spine surgical volume had decreased odds for 30- and 90-day readmission when compared with the lowest quartile. Median income had no effect on readmission rates, save for the top quartile having lower odds of 90-day readmission than the bottom quartile. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic disparities in primary insurance payer, race/ethnicity, and hospital surgical volume affect lumbar spinal fusion surgery readmission rates. Public health interventions may improve readmissions and clinical outcomes and reduce health care costs.

Preexisting Opioid Use Disorder and Outcomes After Lower Extremity Arthroplasty: A Multistate Analysis, 2007-2014.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the association of preexisting opioid use disorder and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA, respectively) in the overall population and in the Medicare-only population. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examined data from the State Inpatient Databases of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project for the years 2007-2014 from California, Florida, New York, Maryland, and Kentucky. We compared patients with and without opioid use disorders on unadjusted rates and calculated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of in-hospital mortality, postoperative complications, length of stay, and 30-day and 90-day readmission status; analyses were repeated in a subgroup of Medicare insurance patients only. SUBJECTS: After applying our exclusion criteria, our study included 1,422,210 adult patients undergoing lower extremity arthroplasties, including 818,931 Medicare insurance patients. In our study, 0.4% of THA patients and 0.3% of TKA patients had present-on-admission opioid use disorder. RESULTS: Opioid use disorder patients were at higher risk for in-hospital mortality (aOR = 3.10), 30- and 90-day readmissions (aORs = 1.81, 1.81), and pulmonary and infectious complications (aORs = 1.25, 1.96). CONCLUSIONS: Present-on-admission opioid use disorder was a risk factor for worse postoperative outcomes and increased health care utilization in the lower extremity arthroplasty population. Opioid use disorder is a potentially modifiable risk factor for mortality, postoperative complications, and health care utilization, especially in the at-risk Medicare population.

A Systematic Review of Postoperative Delirium in the Urologic Patient.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Postoperative delirium (POD) is a common phenomenon among general surgery patients, but it is not well described in urologic surgical patients. We sought to define the incidence and predictive risk factors for POD in patients undergoing urologic surgery. RECENT FINDINGS: Eighteen articles were included for review. The pooled incidence rate of postoperative delirium after urologic surgery was 1.69% (0.69-46.97%). Longer intraoperative time, male sex, unmarried status, and age were shown to be risk factors for POD. POD is common after many urologic surgeries and leads to worse postoperative outcomes and higher healthcare utilization. Future studies are needed to better assess for and prevent POD.

The effect of obesity on pain severity and pain interference.

Aim: Obesity is one of the most prevalent comorbidities associated with chronic pain, which can severely interfere with daily living and increase utilization of clinical resources. We hypothesized that a higher level of obesity, measured by BMI, would be associated with increased pain severity (intensity) and interference (pain related disability). Materials & methods: Participant data was pulled from a multisite chronic pain outpatient database and categorized based on BMI. Results: A total of 2509 patients were included in the study. We found significant differences between BMI groups for all pain severity scores (worst, least, average, current) and total pain interference score. Obese patients had significantly higher scores than normal weight patients. Conclusion: We found obesity to be associated with increased pain severity and pain interference.

Pre-existing opioid use disorder and postoperative outcomes after appendectomy or cholecystectomy: A multi-state analysis, 2007-2014.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Opioid use disorder has become increasingly prevalent in recent years. Previous studies have shown that patients with opioid use disorder undergoing orthopedic, elective abdominopelvic, and cardiac procedures have poorer postoperative outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of pre-existing opioid use disorder on postoperative outcomes including in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), hospital readmission, and postoperative complications in patients undergoing appendectomy or cholecystectomy. METHODS: The authors used administrative data from the State Inpatient Databases of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project for the years 2007-2014 from California, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, and New York. The authors compared unadjusted rates of in-hospital mortality, postoperative complications, LOS, and 30-day and 90-day readmission status. The authors calculated the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for their outcomes using logistic regression models. RESULTS: In all, 488,981 appendectomy patients and 790,491 cholecystectomy patients aged ≥ 18 years were included in the analysis. Appendectomy (OR 2.26) but not cholecystectomy patients with opioid use disorder had statistically significant adjusted odds of in-hospital death. Patients with opioid use disorder (overall reported, and by each procedure separately) had higher adjusted odds of postoperative complication (OR 1.46), 30-day readmission (OR 1.80), 90-day readmission (OR 1.98), and longer LOS (OR 1.37). CONCLUSIONS: The authors found higher unadjusted rates and adjusted ORs of in-patient mortality, hospital readmission, and postoperative complications in patients with opioid use disorder undergoing common abdominal surgeries. The authors' study shows that opioid use disorder is a risk factor for poorer postoperative outcomes in this surgical patient population.