Transfusion guidelines in adult spine surgery: a systematic review and critical summary of currently available evidence.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Red blood cell transfusion can be associated with complications in medical and surgical patients. Acute anemia in ambulatory patients undergoing surgery can also impede wound healing and independent self-care. Current transfusion threshold guidelines are still based on evidence derived from critically-ill intensive care unit medical patients and may not apply to spine surgery candidates. PURPOSE: We aimed to provide the reader with a synthesis of the best available evidence to recommend transfusion trigger thresholds and guidelines in adult patients undergoing spine surgery. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: This is a systematic review. OUTCOME MEASURES: Physiological measure: Blood transfusion thresholds and associated posttransfusion complications (morbidity, mortality, length of stay, infections, etc) of the published articles. PATIENT SAMPLE: Adult spine surgery patients. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature using the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science electronic databases was made according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Focus was set on papers discussing thresholds for blood transfusion in adult surgical spine patients, as well as complications associated with transfusion after acute surgical blood loss in the operating room or postoperative period. Publications discussing pediatric cases, blood type analyses, blood loss prevention strategies and protocols, systematic reviews and letters to the editor were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 22 articles fitting our search criteria were reviewed. Patients who received blood transfusion in these studies were older, of female gender, had more severe comorbidities except for smoking, and had prolonged surgical time. Blood transfusion was associated with multiple adverse postoperative complications, including a higher rate of superficial or deep surgical site infections, sepsis, urinary and pulmonary infections, cardiovascular complications, return to the operating room, and increased postoperative length of stay and 30 day readmission. Analysis of transfusion thresholds from these studies showed that a pre-operative hemoglobin (Hb) of > 13 g/dL, and an intraoperative and post-operative Hb nadir above 9 and 8 g/dL, respectively, were associated with better outcomes and fewer wound infections than lower thresholds (Level B Class III). Additionally, it was generally recommended to transfuse autologous blood that was < 28 days old, if possible, with a limit of 2 to 3 units to minimize patient morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Blood transfusion thresholds in surgical patients may be specialty-specific and different than those used for critically-ill medical patients. For adult spine surgery patients, red blood cell transfusion should be avoided if Hb numbers remain > 9 and 8 g/dL in the intraoperative and direct post-operative periods, respectively.

Compressive Cervical Myelopathy in Patients With Demyelinating Disease of the Central Nervous System: Improvement After Surgery Despite a Late Diagnosis.

Objective We aimed to assess the impact of surgical intervention on outcome in patients diagnosed with demyelinating disorders and cervical degenerative disease warranting surgical intervention. Methods The records of patients with a diagnosis of a demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system who underwent cervical spine surgery at a single institution from 2016 to 2020 were reviewed. Demyelinating disease included multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica, and transverse myelitis (TM). The dates of initial spine symptom onset, recognition of spinal pathology by the primary provider, referral to spine surgery, and spine surgery procedures were collected. Hospital length of stay (LOS) and postoperative outcomes and complications were recorded. Results A total of 19 patients with a diagnosis of demyelinating disorders underwent cervical spine surgery at our institution. Seventeen patients had MS. The average time interval between a documented diagnosis of myelopathy or radiculopathy and referral to the Spine clinic was 67.95 months (M=40, SD=64.87). Twelve patients had imaging studies depicting degenerative spine disease that would warrant surgical intervention at the time of examination by their primary physician. The average delay for referral to the Spine clinic for these patients was 16.5 months (M=5; SD=25.36). More than 89% of patients experienced significant neurologic improvement postoperatively. Conclusions There is a delay in the recognition of cervical spine disease amenable to a surgical resolution in patients with demyelinating disorders. Surgical treatment can lead to significant clinical improvement in this patient population even if delayed, and likely carries similar risk to that of the general population.

Smoking has a dose-dependent effect on the incidence of preoperative opioid consumption in female geriatric patients with spine disease.

Tobacco use and narcotic medication have been associated with worse functional outcomes after surgery. Our goal was to investigate potential associations between smoking and preoperative opioid consumption in a geriatric population undergoing spine surgery, and their impact on postoperative outcomes. The records of 536 consecutive patients aged more than 65 years who underwent elective spinal surgery between November 2014 and August 2017 at a single institution were reviewed. Primary outcomes included rates of preoperative opioid consumption and postoperative hospital length of stay and complications. Males were more likely to be smokers than females (p < 0.001), whereas females were more likely to take opioid analgesics preoperatively (p = 0.022). Women with a history of smoking were more likely to have increased preoperative opioid consumption compared to those with no history of smoking (63.64% vs. 42.04%; p < 0.001). Such a relationship was not found in men. Subgroups analysis of female patients with a history of tobacco use comparing current and former smoker status showed that both groups exhibited increased preoperative opioid consumption compared to patients who never smoked (88.89% vs 42.04%; p < 0.001 for current users; 59.42% vs 42.04% for former users; p = 0.008). There was also a dose-depended relationship between smoking and increased preoperative opioid consumption. Geriatric female spine patients with a history of smoking have a higher incidence of preoperative opioid consumption. Opioid intake appears to increase with the number of pack-years, both in patients with a history of smoking and in those who currently smoke.

Recent advances in understanding and managing chordomas.

Chordomas are rare primary bone tumors arising from embryonic remnants of the notochord. They are slow-growing, locally aggressive, and destructive and typically involve the axial skeleton. Genetic studies have identified several mutations implicated in the pathogenesis of these tumors. Treatment poses a challenge given their insidious progression, degree of local invasion at presentation, and high recurrence rate. They tend to respond poorly to conventional chemotherapy and radiation. This makes radical resection the mainstay of their treatment. Recent advances in targeted chemotherapy and focused particle beam radiation, however, have improved the management and prognosis of these tumors.

Predicting the limits of the endoscopic endonasal approach in children: a radiological anatomical study.

OBJECT The endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) has been established as an alternative approach to craniovertebral junction (CVJ) pathology in adults. The authors have previously described the nasoaxial line (NAxL) as an accurate predictor of the lower limit of the EEA to the CVJ in adults. The surgical anatomy limiting the EEA to the pediatric CVJ has not been well studied. Furthermore, predicting the lower limit of the EEA in various pediatric age groups is important in surgical planning. To better understand the anatomy affecting the EEA to the CVJ, the authors examined the skull base anatomy relevant to the EEA in children of different age groups and used the NAxL to predict the EEA lower limit in children. METHODS Axial brain CT scans of 39 children with normal skull base anatomy were reconstructed sagittally. Children were divided into 4 groups according to age: 3-6, 7-10, 11-14, and 15-18 years old. The intersection of the NAxL with the odontoid process of C-2 was described for each group. Analyses of variance were used to estimate the effect of age, sex, interaction between age and sex on different anatomical parameters relevant to the endonasal corridor (including the length of the hard palate [HPLe]), dimensions of choana and piriform aperture, and the length of the NAxL to C-2. The effect of the HPLe on the working distance of NAxL to the odontoid was also estimated using analysis of covariance, controlling for age, sex, and their interaction. RESULTS The NAxL extended to the odontoid process in 38 of the 39 children. Among the 39 children, the NAxL intersected the upper third of the odontoid process in 25 while intersecting the middle third in the remaining 13 children. The measurements of the inferior limits did not differ with age, varying between 9 and 11 mm below the hard palate line at the ventral surface of C-2. Significant increases in the size of the piriform aperture and choana and the HPLe were observed after age 10. The HPLe predicted the length of the NAxL (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The caudal limit of the EEA extends as far as the middle third of the odontoid process in children, as predicted by the NAxL. The most prominent increase in the size of the choana and piriform aperture occurs after age 10. The HPLe is a significant predictor of the working distance to C-2. Utilizing the NAxL preoperatively may help in planning the EEA to the CVJ in children.