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  • Outpatient Surgery for Herniated Cervical Disc and Fusion is Feasible and Safe; a Consecutive Single-center Series of 759 Patients

    Final Number:
    160

    Authors:
    Bjarne Lied MD, Ph.D; Oystein Helseth Medical Student; Kare Ekseth MD; Ben Heskestad MD; Eirik Helseth

    Study Design:
    Clinical Trial

    Subject Category:

    Meeting: Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2016 Annual Meeting

    Introduction: There is an increasing demand for surgery of degenerative spinal disease. Limited health care resources draw attention to the need for cost-effective treatments. Outpatient surgery, when safe and feasible, is more cost-effective than inpatient surgery. The aim of this study is to study types and rates of complications following surgery for herniated cervical disc and fusion.

    Methods: Complications were recorded prospectively in 759 outpatients undergoing outpatient cervical surgery at the private Oslofjord Clinic, in the time period 2008-2015.

    Results: Surgical mortality was 0%. A total of 13 (1.7%) minor and major complications were recorded in 13 individual patients. Two (0.2 %) patients had to be admitted to a hospital the day of surgery. The encountered complications were postoperative hematoma (0.3%), neurological deterioration (0.4%), deep wound infection (0.3%), dural lesions with CSF-leakage (0.1%), persistent dysphagia (0.4%), persistent hoarseness (0.3%). All of the life-threatening hematomas were detected within 3 hours after surgery.

    Conclusions: . This series of 759 consecutive outpatient cervical spine decompressions adds to the growing literature in favor of outpatient spinal surgery, in properly selected patients. 99.8% of the patients were successfully discharged either to their homes or to a hotel on the day of surgery. The surgical mortality was 0%, the overall complication rate was 1.7%.

    Patient Care: Outpatient surgery is safe, cost less and we can show a low complication rate

    Learning Objectives: Outpatient surgery for herniated cervical disc and fusion is feasible and safe.

    References:

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