Aims. The escalating demand for medical resources to address spinal diseases as society ages is an issue that requires careful evaluation. However, few studies have examined trends in
Background. Over 55,000 spinal operations are performed annually in the NHS. Effective postoperative analgesia facilitates early mobilisation and assists rehabilitation and hospital discharge, but is difficult to achieve with conventional, opioid-based, oral analgesia. The clinical and cost-effectiveness of two alternative techniques, namely intrathecal opioid and the more novel erector-spinae plane blockade, is unknown. The Pain Relief After Instrumented
Aims. The current pandemic caused by COVID-19 is the biggest challenge for national health systems for a century. While most medical resources are allocated to treat COVID-19 patients, several non-COVID-19 medical emergencies still need to be treated, including vertebral fractures and spinal cord compression. The aim of this paper is to report the early experience and an organizational protocol for emergency
Purpose of study and background.
With the identification of literature shortfalls on the techniques employed in intraoperative navigated (ION)
Minimal clinically important differences (MCID)
in the scores of patient-reported outcome measures allow clinicians to
assess the outcome of intervention from the perspective of the patient.
There has been significant variation in their absolute values in
previous publications and a lack of consistency in their calculation. The purpose of this study was first, to establish whether these
values, following
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) is the most common complication following major joint surgery. While attention has focused on VTE following joint arthroplasty their exists a gap in the literature examining the incidence of VTE in
To review blood transfusion practices during elective
A dural tear is a common but troublesome complication of endoscopic
Surgery of the spine is associated with blood loss and frequently transfusion, with consequent risk of infection and reactions. It also costly, and puts a strain on national blood banks. A new blood salvage device works by ‘washing’ and centrifuging the blood lost during surgery; which can then be re-transfused into the patient. In a retrospective study 46 consecutive
Objectives:. To establish the demand, referral pathways, utility and patient satisfaction of a physiotherapy led post operative
Wrong-level surgery is a unique pitfall in spinal
surgery and is part of the wider field of wrong-site surgery. Wrong-site
surgery affects both patients and surgeons and has received much
media attention. We performed this systematic review to determine
the incidence and prevalence of wrong-level procedures in spinal
surgery and to identify effective prevention strategies. We retrieved
12 studies reporting the incidence or prevalence of wrong-site surgery
and that provided information about prevention strategies. Of these,
ten studies were performed on patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery
and two on patients undergoing lumbar, thoracic or cervical spine procedures.
A higher frequency of wrong-level surgery in lumbar procedures than
in cervical procedures was found. Only one study assessed preventative
strategies for wrong-site surgery, demonstrating that current site-verification protocols
did not prevent about one-third of the cases. The current literature
does not provide a definitive estimate of the occurrence of wrong-site
spinal surgery, and there is no published evidence to support the
effectiveness of site-verification protocols. Further prevention
strategies need to be developed to reduce the risk of wrong-site surgery.
To audit patient satisfaction throughout the perioperative period amongst emergency and elective admissions in the spinal team. 92 patients were identified whom underwent operations within a 3 month period using the operating database. A self administered postal questionnaire was sent to assess preoperative waiting time, quality of preoperative assessment and information given, assessment of their admission, their experience throughout hospital stay and the quality of their post operative assessment and discharge. Patient reported outcomes (PROMS) Response rate 35% (32/92) of which 24 (14F 10M) were elective admissions and 8 emergency admissions (2F 6M). Average wait for elective procedure was 5.7 weeks (median 2). 63% of elective patients were seen in prescreening clinic and 79% of these received an information booklet prior to operation. 22% of patients had delayed discharge due to non clinical causes including awaiting transport, awaiting medications and physiotherapy clearance. 88% of patients reported they were given adequate information regarding post-operative daily activities. 79% of elective patients reported seeing a doctor on the day of their discharge however only 38% reported seeing a physiotherapist postoperatively. This fell to 0% for patients operated on a Friday. Although 94% of patients reported that they were satisfied with the overall care they were given, they reported certain aspects of their clinical care being less than optimal. Trust wide assessment of patient reported outcomes to assess and improve the quality of care against national guidelines. Ethics Approval: Self questionnaire approved by ethics committee
We have examined how many and which potential complications (PCs) are recorded on the consent form by a group of consultant surgeons performing common spinal procedures - anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and posterior lumbar discectomy and/or medial facetectomy (PLD). Email survey Consultant spinal surgeons performing ACDF and/or PLD practicing in Southwest England Identification of the PCs each surgeon listed on the consent form for the specified procedures. There were 23 responses from 28 Consultant surgeons approached. 21 surgeons performed both ACDF and PLD, 2 performed only PLD. Surgeons quoted 5 to 17 (mode 10) PCs for ACDF and 4 to 15 (mode 13) for PLD. These did not necessarily represent the most common or most dangerous PCs recorded in the literature1,2. Small difference in PCs mentioned by Neurosurgeons and Orthopaedic surgeons was seen (ACDF mode: 12vs10, PLD mode: 12vs13). There was a strong correlation between the number of PCs recorded by surgeons for ACDF and PLD. We have found a wide variation in consenting practice amongst a group of surgeons performing common spinal operations. Issues of consent are common causes of formal complaints and potential litigation, causing anxiety for both patient and surgeon. A more homogenous consent process, employing objective measures where possible, may help reduce this burden and may be achieved by setting a national standard.
Introduction. Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and psychological aspects of spinal conditions play an important role in its management. Disability benefit in the social welfare system is being closely scrutinized. The PHQ9 and GAD7 are used widely in general practice to aid assessment of depression and anxiety/somatization. To date, their use in the
Modern techniques facilitate the treatment of adult spinal deformity. Decision making is a challenge because of potential complications relating to the surgery itself and medical problems. This study aims to provide useful data in facilitating the decision making process. Retrospective analysis of consecutive single surgeon series of patients aged >50 between 2006-2009 undergoing multi-level spinal deformity surgery with concomitant decompression. Medical co-morbidities, age and ASA were recorded. 71 patients (57 female) mean age 66 (50-83). 29 (12 multiple) failed previous stenosis surgery. 14(19.7%) in hospital complications in 11(15.5%) patients. 4 were ‘medical’. 8/11 patients were revision cases versus 3/11 primary. 4 patients (5.6%) needed further surgery. 13(18.3%) outpatient complications in 12(16.9%)patients. 7/12 occurred in revision cases versus 5/12 in primary. 11(15.5%) needed further surgery. Revisional surgery in adult deformity presents a significantly higher overall complication rate than primary surgery (p= 0.0084), but both revisional and primary cases have a relatively high re-operation rate once initially discharged. The results indicate that complex medical and surgical factors contribute to the decision making challenge in patients with adult spinal deformity and stenosis.
Aims. We compared decompression alone to decompression with fusion surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, with or without degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS). The aim was to evaluate if five-year outcomes differed between the groups. The two-year results from the same trial revealed no differences. Methods. The Swedish Spinal Stenosis Study was a multicentre randomized controlled trial with recruitment from September 2006 to February 2012. A total of 247 patients with one- or two-level central lumbar spinal stenosis, stratified by the presence of DS, were randomized to decompression alone or decompression with fusion. The five-year Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D), visual analogue scales for back and leg pain, and patient-reported satisfaction, decreased pain, and increased walking distance. The reoperation rate was recorded. Results. Five-year follow-up was completed by 213 (95%) of the eligible patients (mean age 67 years; 155 female (67%)). After five years, ODI was similar irrespective of treatment, with a mean of 25 (SD 18) for decompression alone and 28 (SD 22) for decompression with fusion (p = 0.226). Mean EQ-5D was higher for decompression alone than for fusion (0.69 (SD 0.28) vs 0.59 (SD 0.34); p = 0.027). In the no-DS subset, fewer patients reported decreased leg pain after fusion (58%) than with decompression alone (80%) (relative risk (RR) 0.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 to 0.97). The frequency of subsequent
Aims. The British Spine Registry (BSR) was introduced in May 2012 to be used as a web-based database for
Introduction. The British Spinal Registry (BSR) is a web-based database commissioned by the British Association of Spine Surgeons (BASS) in the UK. It allows auditing of