Complications of Flat Bed Rest After Incidental Durotomy

Retrospective case series.

To determine whether bed rest is a risk factor for specific medical complications.

Flat bed rest after incidental durotomy is commonly used to reduce the risk of CSF leakage and associated complications.

Retrospective case series of consecutive patients after lumbar laminectomy were identified. Medical records were reviewed for duration of bed rest and complications (pulmonary, wound, neurological, gastrointestinal, and urinary) in the chart notes, repair methods, subfascial drain placement, consultant notes, imaging reports, and discharge summaries. Patients were compared with duration of bed rest >24 hours versus duration of bed rest ≤24 hours. The incidence of complications was compared between groups using the Fisher exact test.

There were a total of 42 patients with incidental durotomy. There were 18 patients in the bed rest ≤24 hours group and 24 patients in the bed rest >24 hours group. Comparing the bed rest ≤24 hours to bed rest >24 hours patients, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of postdurotomy-related neurological complications, wound complications, and need for revision surgery. There was a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of total medical complications in the ≤24-hour group (0% vs. 50%, P=0.0003).

There was an increased incidence of medical complications in the bed rest group >24 hours. Flat bed rest after modern dural repair method may not be a necessity in all cases and may be associated with a higher incidence of medical complications.