Search

Background Context: Gunshot wounds (GSWs) to the vertebral column represent an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, constituting approximately 20% of all spinal injuries. The management of these injuries is an understudied and controversial topic, given its heterogeneity and lack of follow-up data., Purpose: To characterize the management and follow-up of GSWs to the spine., Study Design/setting: A multi-institutional retrospective review of the experience of two urban Level 1 trauma centers., Patient Sample: Patients with GSWs to the spine between 2010-2021., Outcome Measures: Measures included work status, follow-up healthcare utilization, and pain management were collected., Methods: Charts were reviewed for demographics, injury characteristics, surgery and medical management, and follow-up. Statistical analysis included T-tests and ANOVA for comparisons of continuous variables and chi-square testing for categorical variables. All statistics were performed on SPSS v24 (IBM, Armonk, NY)., Results: A total of 271 patients were included for analysis. The average age was 28 years old, 82.7% of patients were black, 90% were male, and 76.4% had Medicare/Medicaid. The thoracic spine (35%) was most commonly injured followed by lumbar (33.9%) and cervical (25.6%). Cervical GSW was associated with higher mortality (p<.001); 8.7% of patients developed subsequent osteomyelitis/discitis, 71.3% received prophylactic antibiotics, and 56.1% of cervical GSW had a confirmed vertebral or carotid artery injury. ASIA scores at presentation were most commonly A (26.9%), D (20.7%), or E (19.6%), followed by C (7.4%) and B (6.6%). 18.8% of patients were unable to be assessed at presentation. ASIA score declined in only 2 patients, while 15.5% improved over their hospital stay. Those who improved were more likely to have ASIA B injury (p<.001). Overall, 9.2% of patients underwent spinal surgery. Of these, 33% presented as ASIA A, 21% as ASIA B, 29% as ASIA C, and 13% as ASIA D. Surgery was not associated with an improvement in ASIA score., Conclusions: Given the ubiquitous and heterogeneous experience with GSWs to the spine, rigorous attempts should be made to define this population and its clinical and surgical outcomes. Here, we present an analysis of 11 years of patients presenting to two large trauma centers to elucidate patterns in presentation, management, and follow-up. We highlight that GSWs to the cervical spine are most often seen in young black male patients. They were associated with high mortality and high rates of injury to vertebral arteries and that surgical intervention did not alter rates of discitis/osteomyelitis or propensity for neurologic recovery; moreover, there was no incidence of delayed spinal instability in the study population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The classification of medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) involves rigorous scrutiny from specialized panels that designate devices as Class I, II, or III depending on their levels of relative risk to patient health. Posterior rigid pedicle screw systems were first classified by the FDA in 1984 and have since revolutionized the treatment of many spine pathologies. Despite this early classification by the FDA, posterior cervical pedicle and lateral mass screws were not reclassified from unclassified to Class III and then to Class II until 2019, nearly 35 years after their initial classification. This reclassification process involved a decades-long interplay between the FDA, formal panels, manufacturers, academic leaders, practicing physicians, and patients. It was delayed by lawsuits and a paucity of data demonstrating the ability to improve outcomes for cervical spinal pathologies. The off-label use of thoracolumbar pedicle screw rigid fixation systems by early adopters assisted manufacturers and professional organizations in providing the necessary data for the reclassification process. This case study highlights the collaboration between physicians and professional organizations in facilitating FDA reclassification and underscores changes to the current classification process that could avoid the prolonged dichotomy between common medical practice and FDA guidelines., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: The risk of readmission after brain tumor resection among pediatric patients has not been defined. The authors' objective was to evaluate the readmission rates and predictors of readmission after pediatric brain tumor resection., Methods: Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) data sets from 2010 to 2014 were searched for unplanned readmissions within 30 days of the discharge date after pediatric brain tumor resection. Patient demographic variables included sex, age, expected payment source (Medicaid or private insurance), and median annual household income. Readmission events for chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or further tumor resection were not included., Results: Of 282 patients (12.7%) readmitted within 30 days of the index event, the median time to readmission was 10 days (IQR 5-19 days). The most common reason for readmission was hydrocephalus, which accounted for 19% of readmission events. Other CNS-related complications (24%), surgical site infections or septicemia (14%), seizures (7%), and hematological disorders (7%) accounted for other major readmission events. The median charge for readmission events was $35,431, and the median length of readmission stay was 4 days. In multivariate regression, factors associated with a significant increase in readmission risk included Medicaid as the primary payor, discharge from the index event with home health services, and fluid and electrolyte disorders during the index event., Conclusions: More than 10% of pediatric brain tumor patients have unplanned readmission events within 30 days of discharge after tumor resection. Medicaid patients and those with preoperative or early postoperative fluid and electrolyte disturbances may benefit from early or frequent outpatient visits after tumor resection.

Objective: A fair number of hospital admissions occur after 30 days; thus, the true readmission rate could have been underestimated. Therefore, we hypothesized that the 90-day readmission rate might better characterize the factors contributing to readmission for pediatric patients undergoing spinal tumor resection., Methods: The Nationwide Readmissions Database was used to study the patient demographic data, comorbidities, admissions, hospital course, spinal tumor behavior (malignant vs. benign), complications, revisions, and 30- and 90-day readmissions., Results: Of the 397 patients included in the 30-day cohort, 43 (10.8%) had been readmitted. In comparison, the 90-day readmission rate was significantly greater; 52 of 325 patients were readmitted (16.0%; P < 0.04). Patients aged 16-20 constituted the largest subgroup. However, the highest readmission rate was observed for patients aged <5 years (30-day, 21.7%; 90-day, 26.4%). Medicaid patients were more likely to be readmitted than were private insurance patients (30-day odds ratio [OR], 3.3 [P < 0.001]; 90-day OR, 2.29 [P < 0.02]). In both cohorts, patients with malignant tumors required readmission more often than did those with benign tumors (30-day OR, 2.78 [P < 0.02]; 90-day OR, 1.92 [P = 0.08]). In the 90-day cohort, the patients had been readmitted 26.4 days after discharge versus 10.6 days in the 30-day cohort. Within the 90-day cohort, 18.6% of the readmissions were for spinal reoperation, 28.3% for chemotherapy or hematologic complications, and 25.6% for other central nervous system disorders. The median charges for each readmission were ∼$50,000 and ∼$40,000 for the 30- and 90-day cohorts, respectively. Medicaid insurance, malignant tumors, and younger age were significant predictors of readmission in the 90-day cohort., Conclusions: The prevalence and charges associated with unplanned hospital readmissions after spinal tumor resection were remarkably high. Younger age, Medicaid insurance, malignant tumors, and complications during the initial admission were significant predictors of 90-day readmission., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Single-level open lumbar microdiscectomy surgery is one of the most straightforward and effective spinal surgeries performed by spinal surgeons today to treat disk herniation. Although a common operation, little in the literature is reported on the exact overall time, cost, and effort associated with the performance of this surgery. The consistency of this operation across institutions and disciplines makes it a good starting point to accurately track the total time and effort of all phases of the surgical intervention., Methods: Eighteen patients undergoing elective single-level open lumbar microdiscectomy surgery were prospectively enrolled in this study. The time spent interacting with each patient by every member of the surgical team was tracked and recorded along will every phone call and e-mail. All perioperative times associated with the surgery were tracked and analyzed. Each patient was followed from their first interaction through surgery and for the first 3 months postoperatively., Results: The advanced practice providers spent the most time with the patient both pre- and postoperatively followed by the surgeon and resident. A total of 2.98 hours was spent with the patient preoperatively in clinic and 1.69 hours postoperatively. The total time commitment of an institution treating this condition was 12.56 hours., Conclusions: Comparing our results with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data, a significant discrepancy and underestimation was observed. As such, we hope our results enable health care providers to more accurately allocate resources for the provision of high-quality medical care to patients with this increasingly common condition., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Dynesys System for stabilizing the lumbar spine was first surgically implanted in Europe in 1994. In 2003, a prospective, randomized, investigational device exemption clinical trial of the system for non-fusion dynamic stabilization began. Polycarbonate urethane (PCU) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) components explanted from four patients who had participated in the study were analyzed for biostability. Components had been implanted 9-19 months. The explanted components were visually inspected and digitally photographed. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the surface of the spacers. The chemical and molecular properties of the retrieved spacers and cords were quantitatively compared with lot-matched, shelf-aged, components that had not been implanted using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). FTIR analyses suggested that the explanted spacers exhibited slight surface chemical changes but were chemically unchanged below the surface and in the center. New peaks that could be attributed to biodegradation of PCU were not observed. The spectral analyses for the cords revealed that the PET cords were chemically unchanged at both the surface and the interior. Peaks associated with the PET biodegradation were not detected. GPC results did not identify changes to the distributions of molecular weights that might be attributed to biodegradation of either PCU spacers or PET cords. The explanted condition of the retrieved components demonstrated the biostability of both PCU spacers and PET cords that had been in vivo for up to 19 months.