Study links readmission 30 days after elective spine surgery and race

SAN DIEGO — Black race was a predictor of postoperative hospital readmission after spine surgery in a retrospective study that included 1,346 consecutive adults who underwent elective spine surgery between 2008 and 2010 and had their information entered into a surgical registry.

Aladine A. Elsamadicy, BE, presented the findings at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting.

He said black race was associated on multivariate analysis with an odds ratio of nearly 2.5 for being readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of spine surgery.

“Compared to other races, and the white race, black patients had a significantly higher probability of being readmitted within 30 days,” Elsamadicy said.

In all, 159 patients had a 30-day readmission. Of those patients, 64% were white; 0% were American Indian; 1.3% were Asian; 32.7% were black; and 1.9% were multiracial.

“Our study demonstrated that race has a significant influence on the incidence of 30-day readmission rates after spine surgery. Furthermore, the black patients were more likely to be readmitted within 30 days than other races. Future studies are necessary to further understand the influence of racial disparities on multiple aspects of surgical care,” Elsamadicy said. – by Susan M. Rapp

Reference:

Martin J, et al. Paper #315. Presented at: Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting; Sept. 24-28, 2016; San Diego.

Disclosure: Elsamadicy reports no relevant financial disclosures.