[Anterior approach complications in cervical spine pathology]. / Complicaciones del abordaje anterior en la patología de la columna cervical.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze cervical discectomy complications with anterior approach. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospectively clinical cases series of 193 patients, between December 1989 to December 2004, in the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona. We analyzed complications arisen with cervical anterior approach and its relation with differents procedures. Demographic variables (age, sex), clinical variables (onset symptoms, cervical pathology cause, complication type, and duration time) and surgical variables (operated levels number, procedure, graft used) were analyzed. We made a statistical analysis with multivariant analysis, T-Student test and Chi-square test to analyze the relation between the complications and different studied variables. RESULTS: We found complications in 50 patients (25.91%). Most frequent has been dysphagia, present in 15 patients. Most of them appear with transitory form (13 patients) and in very few occasions permanent form (2 patients). T-Student test in statistical analysis showed no statistically significant differences (p=0.431) between the ages and complications, and were not statistically significant differences, used Chi-square test, in sex (p=0.515), in onset symptoms (p=0.923), in pathology origin (p=0.364), in a procedure(p=0.295), and graft used (p=0.382). We found statistically significant differences in operated levels number (p=0.018) with a ratio for the advantages (single /multiple) of 2.221. Multivariant analysis with linear regression model considering age, sex and operated levels number, showed that persistist the risk of complications in operated number levels, independently of the age or sex, being the multiple spaces a 117.3% more frequent than the single space (OR 2.173; IC95% 1.104-4.279). CONCLUSIONS: 1. Cervical anterior approach, is a simple technique, and safe surgically procedure with under number of complications. 2. Dysphagia is most frequent complication, but it is inherent to the procedure and it is solved without treatment in most ocasions. 3. Have been many the procedures used for the cervical spine fixation, with more than 40 years of experience, and still it is to define as he is the best one. It would be necessary more studies of prospective multicentric character to be able to compare clinical, radiological results, and the presence of complications.

Complicaciones del abordaje anterior en la patología de la columna cervical / Anterior approach complications in cervical spine pathology

Objetivo. Analizar las complicaciones de pacientes intervenidos mediante abordaje cervical anterior en la patología de la columna. Material y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo de una serie de 193 casos clínicos, entre Diciembre de 1989 y Diciembre de 2004, en el Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol de Badalona, donde se analizaron las complicaciones surgidas con el abordaje cervical anterior y su relación con las distintas técnicas aplicadas. Se analizaron variables sociodemográficas (edad, sexo), variables clínicas (sintomatología inicial, origen de la patología cervical, tipo de complicación, y tiempo de duración de la complicación)y quirúrgicas (número de niveles intervenidos, nivel intervenido, tipo de intervención realizada, tipo de injerto utilizado). A partir de los datos obtenidos se realizó un análisis estadístico con modelos de análisis multivariante, con la prueba de T-Student y con el test de Chi-cuadrado para analizar la relación entre las complicaciones y las distintas variables estudiadas. Resultados. De todos los individuos estudiados (193), hallamos complicaciones en 50 pacientes (25,91%). De ellas, la más frecuente fue la disfagia, presente en 15 pacientes. La mayoría de ellas se presentaron de forma transitoria (13 pacientes) y en muy pocas ocasiones de forma permanente (2 pacientes). El análisis estadístico mediante la prueba de la T de Student mostró que no existían diferencias estadísticamente significativas(p=0,431) entre las edades de los pacientes que habían presentado complicaciones frente a los que no, y tampoco se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas, utilizado el test de la Chi-cuadrado, respecto el sexo (p=0,515), síntomas iniciales p=0,923), origen de la patología (p=0,364), tipo de intervención realizada (p=0,295), y tipo de injerto utilizado (p=0,382,). Donde sí encontramos diferencias estadísticamente significativas fue en el número de niveles intervenidos (p=0,018) con una razón de las ventajas para el número de niveles (único/múltiple) de 2,221. Con el análisis multivariante siguiendo en modelo de regresión lineal considerando edad, sexo y número de niveles intervenidos, observamos que persistía el riesgo de complicaciones del número de espacios intervenidos, independientemente de la edad o el sexo, siendo los múltiples espacios un 117,3% más frecuente que la intervención de un único (OR 2,173; IC95% 1,104-4,279). Conclusiones. 1. La cirugía de la columna cervical por vía anterior, es una técnica simple, y un procedimiento quirúrgicamente seguro con un número bajo de complicaciones. 2. La disfagia es la complicación más frecuente, pero que se encuentra casi inherente al procedimiento y en la mayoría de ocasiones se resuelve sin tratamiento. 3. Han sido muchos los procedimientos utilizados para la fijación de la columna cervical, con más de 40 años de experiencia, y aún queda por definir cual es el mejor. Harían falta más estudios de carácter rmulticéntrico y de cohorte prospectiva para poder comparar resultados clínicos, radiológicos, y la presencia de complicaciones

Objective. To analyze cervical discectomy complications with anterior approach. Material and methods. Retrospectively clinical cases series of 193 patients, between December 1989 to December 2004, in the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona. We analyzed complications arisen with cervical anterior approach and its relation with differents procedures. Demographic variables (age, sex), clinical variables (onset symptoms, cervical pathology cause, complication type, and duration time) and surgical variables (operated levels number, procedure, graft used) were analyzed. We made a statistical analysis with multivariant analysis, T-Student test and Chi-square test to analyze the relation between the complications and different studied variables. Results. We found complications in 50 patients(25,91%). Most frequent has been dysphagia, present in 15 patients. Most of them appear with transitory form (13 patients) and in very few occasions permanent form (2 patients). T-Student test in statistical analysis showed no statistically significant differences (p=0,431) between the ages and complications, and were not statistically significant differences, used Chi-square test, in sex (p=0,515), in onset symptoms (p=0,923), in pathology origin (p=0,364), in a procedure(p=0,295), and graft used (p=0,382). We found statistically significant differences in operated levels number (p=0,018) with a ratio for the advantages (single /multiple) of 2,221. Multivariant analysis with linear regression model considering age, sex and operated levels number, showed that persistist the risk of complications in operated number levels, independently of the age or sex, being the multiple spaces a 117.3% more frequent than the single space (OR 2,173; IC95% 1,104-4,279). Conclusions. 1. Cervical anterior approach, is a simple technique, and safe surgically procedure with under number of complications. 2. Dysphagia is most frequent complication, but it is inherent to the procedure and it is solved without treatment in most ocasions.3. Have been many the procedures used for the cervical spine fixation, with more than 40 years of experience, and still it is to define as he is the best one. It would be necessary more studies of prospective multicentric character to be able to compare clinical, radiological results, and the presence of complications

[Hospitalizations due to ambulatory care sensitive conditions: selection of diagnostic codes for Spain]. / Las hospitalizaciones por ambulatory care sensitive conditions: selección del listado de códigos de diagnóstico válidos para España.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalisations due to Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC) are considered an indicator to measure the use of hospital services because of health conditions that could have been prevented and controlled by primary health care. The objective of this study is to select the list of diagnostic codes to assess the performance of primary health care in Spain. METHODS: The five criteria proposed by Weissman and Solberg, to select an appropriate indicator, were applied to a first list of 87 ACSC diagnostic codes identified through bibliographic search. Information on two main criteria-whether care for a health condition was a primary health care role and whether hospitalisation was needed once the health problem occurred was obtained by means of the Delphi technique. A group of 44 experts gathered together for the study. For the remaining criteria, information came from the results of the Pilot study on hospitalisations due to ACSC in Catalonia, Spain. Meeting the five criteria was the criterion selected to evaluate the solving ability of primary health care. RESULTS: a) from the Delphi group: 42 (95.4%) participants completed the three rounds. The question on whether the care of the selected health conditions was responsibility of primary health care reached a high level of consensus (between 86.1 and 100%). The consensus on the need for hospitalisation was lower, from 75.7 to 88.6%, moreover, 5 diagnostic codes did not reach the established consensus, and b) from the ACSC selection process: five diagnostic codes did not meet the criteria and were excluded. Out of the remaining 82, all them were considered as health problems to be cared for at primary level and in 37 cases hospitalisation was considered always as necessary. Thirty-five diagnostic codes, that met the five criteria, represented the set of ACSC diagnostic codes in our setting. CONCLUSIONS: A set of 35 diagnostic codes of ACSC, adapted to our setting, is proposed to evaluate primary health care performance. The selected codes reduce significantly the limitations that stem from hospital admission criteria due to patient clinical characteristics, variations in hospital medical practice, and hospital admission policies.