Abstract

PREOPERATIVE FACTORS AFFECTING THE LENGTH OF STAY AFTER ELECTIVE ANTERIOR CERVICAL DISCECTOMY

*Dr. Jahanzeb Kakar, Dr. Abdul Samad Panezai, Dr. Sher Hassan, Dr. Abdul Latif Kakar, Dr. Hina Khuda-i-dad Khan, Dr. Hayat Muhammad Kakar, Mohammad Saleem, Saleem Khan, Hazrat Ali

Abstract

Objective: To determine Preoperative factors affecting the length of stay after elective anterior cervical discectomy. Design: A retrospective study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the Department of Neurosurgery, BMC/SPH Quetta from February, 2015 to March 2016. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted in a BMC/SPH, Quetta. The medical records of the patient who had to undergo anterior cervical surgery in the past 5 years were filtered out and traced back for an interview. Medical records, reports and follow up notes were analysed for determining the outcome for this procedure. Inclusion criteria included those patients whose characteristics followed the criteria set for the selection of the patient such as demographics, comorbidities, age, and past medical history. The exclusion set for patient selection includes traumatic incident, malignancy excision, previous infection, under 18 years old person, total disc replacement, concomitant posterior cervical arthrodesis, thoracic or lumbar spine surgery, or other unrelated procedures. The patient was tracked down from the billing information and the medical records from the database of the hospital. Results: The range for the length of the stay was from 1 to 21 days. The average length of the stay observed was 2 days +/- 2.5 days. Therefore, the stay longer than 3 days was considered an extended period of stay. It was observed that 19 % of patients were on the extended stay. These percentages were calculated based on two categories; demographics and comorbidities. The covariance was calculated and analysed for each independent variable. Total variables, which were calculated, are 15 and we made 105 combinations. Out of this 77 did not show significant pvalue. 10 combinations indicated a significant result p < 0.001. Conclusion: After over viewing the medical records, lab findings and follow up reports the study pointed out that the association of comorbidities such pulmonary disease and surgical procedure like corpectomy to the extension of the length of the stay at the hospital, However, while determining the causality a careful watch is required, retrospective study do not provide good and valid evidence at times.

Keywords: Preoperative factors, anterior, cervical discectomy.