Thoracolumbar Spinal Arthrodesis - Epidemiology and Costs

Abstract

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of patients with thoracolumbar spine fracture submitted to surgery at Hospital Cristo Redentor and the related costs. Methods: Prospective epidemiological study between July 2014 and August 2015 of patients with thoracolumbar spine fracture with indication of surgery. The variables analyzed were sex, age, cost of hospitalization, fractured levels, levels of arthrodesis, surgical site infection, UTI or BCP, spinal cord injury, etiology, length of stay, procedure time, and visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Thirty-two patients were evaluated in the study period, with a mean age of 38.68 years. Male-female ratio was 4:1 and the most frequent causes were fall from height (46.87%) and traffic accidents (46.87%). The thoracolumbar transition was the most affected (40.62%), with L1 vertebra involved in 23.8% of the time. Neurological deficit was present in 40.62% of patients. Hospital stay had a median of 14 days and patients with neurological deficit were hospitalized for a longer period (p<0.001), with an increase in hospital costs (p= 0.015). The average cost of hospitalization was U$2,874.80. The presence of BCP increased the cost of hospitalization, and patients with spinal cord injury had more BCP (p= 0.014). Conclusion: Public policies with an emphasis on reducing traffic accidents and falls can help reduce the incidence of these injuries and studies focusing on hospital costs and rehabilitation need to be conducted in Brazil to determinate the burden of spinal trauma and spinal cord injury. os pacientes com déficit neurológico permaneceram internados por período mais prolongado (p <0,001), com aumento dos custos hospitalares (p= 0,015). O custo médio da internação foi de U$ 2.874,80. A presença de BCP aumentou o custo da internação e os pacientes com lesão medular tiveram mais BCP (p= 0,014). Conclusão: Políticas públicas com ênfase na redução de acidentes de trânsito e quedas podem ajudar a reduzir a incidência dessas lesões e estudos com foco nos gastos hospitalares e em reabilitação precisam ser realizados no

Spine Trauma Epidemiological Profile in a Tertiary Neurosurgery Hospital in South Brazil

“…The present work showed that spine trauma mostly occurred in young males, corroborating previously published articles. [7][8][9]12,29 A study published in the same state found similar distribution by age and sex. 30 A progressive increase in rates of spine trauma was observed in patients aged over 65 years old; from 4.8% to 12.1%.…”

“…[4][5][6] Men are three to four times more likely to be affected than women, corresponding to 76-88% of patients, with a peak age of between 34 and 58 years. [7][8][9] Incidence of spine trauma and SCI varies around the world, with markedly different statistics between developing and non-developed countries. 10,11 In Asia Pacific, Taiwan has the highest rate , with 40.2 patients per million people with spine trauma, 12 followed by China and Saudi Arabia, which have rates of 23.7 and 38 patients per million people, respectively.…”