Role of Biochemical Nutritional Parameters as Predictors of Postoperative Morbidity in Major Spine Surgeries

Prospective cohort study.

To evaluate the association between nutritional parameters related to postoperative surgical site infections and duration of hospital stay and intensive care unit (ICU) stay in patients undergoing major spine surgery.

Malnutrition is highly prevalent in surgical patients. Malnourished patients are considered to be at higher risk for postoperative morbidity and mortality due to impaired wound healing, delayed inflammation, impaired fibroblast proliferation, and collagen synthesis. Decreased lymphocyte count also impairs the ability of the immune system to eradicate or prevent infection, which predisposes these patients to infections. However, this association between malnutrition and postoperative morbidity is not consistent across studies, thus necessitating further investigation.

The values of serum albumin, prealbumin, total lymphocyte counts, and transferrin were documented preoperatively and postoperatively on day 5 for all patients undergoing major spine surgery (surgery involving instrumentation of at least three motion segments). In addition, patients' surgical wound healing status, duration of hospital stay, and duration of ICU stay in the postoperative period were documented. Finally, the statistical correlation between the nutritional markers and these complications was determined.

Low postoperative prealbumin levels was significantly associated with increased complication rates. ICU stay demonstrated a statistically significant association with low postoperative albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin levels. Similarly, we observed that low postoperative albumin and prealbumin levels could significantly predict the need for prolonged hospital stay in patients undergoing major spine surgery.

The magnitude of the decrease in nutritional status due to surgery with respect to albumin and prealbumin levels is a significant (p<0.05) predictor of wound-related complications, rather than a single nutritional parameter evaluated at a point of time.