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Return-to-work rates similar for short, long fusion procedures

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SAN DIEGO — Patients who underwent long fusion procedures had similar occupational outcomes, work restrictions and return-to-work times as patients who underwent short fusion procedures, according to research presented here.

During a presentation at the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery Annual Meeting, Dennis G. Crandall, MD, said patients undergoing spinal arthrodesis surgery can reliably return to work and remain working in the long term after their procedures. Return-to-work status and long-term outcomes were similar for patients who underwent short fusions for degenerative diseases or long fusions for spinal deformities.

“There was no difference in the ultimate ability to return to work in either group,” Crandall said. “Both groups saw about 20% retire, and 12% declared disability by the average 6 years of follow-up.”

Dennis G. Crandall

Two hundred and one consecutive working patients who underwent spinal fusion procedures were included in the retrospective study, with a total of 75 long fusions and 128 short fusions.

Overall, 91% of patients had returned to work by the average 6-year follow up. Of these patients, 94.4% had undergone short fusion procedures and 85.3% had undergone long fusion procedures, according to Crandall.

Short fusion patients returned to work faster, at 13 weeks on average, compared with long fusion patients, who returned to work at an average of 18 weeks.

Overall, the ability to return to long-term work was not affected by age, sex, diagnosis, fusion length or work type, Crandall and colleagues found. – by Robert Linnehan

Reference:

Crandall DG, et al. Paper #198. Presented at: International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery Annual Meeting. April 15-17, 2015; San Diego.

Disclosure: Crandall reports the receipt of miscellaneous non-income support from Ellipse Technology, Medtronic, Spinewave, Stryker and Zyga. He has also received royalties from Stryker and is a member of the speakers bureau for Medtronic.