Preoperative Emergency Department Usage is a Sentinel Marker of Worsened Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion Outcome

Utilization of the emergency department (ED) is associated with medical and social comorbidities. These factors may also be associated with medical complications after complex surgeries. This study investigated how preoperative ED use increases risk of posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) complications.

We identified adult PLIF patients treated between 2016 and 2019 in the PearlDiver Claims Database. Clinical variables including preoperative ED use within 180 days were collected using International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) codes. Risk difference was calculated, and multivariable regression was performed.

This study included 13,010 (21.1%) patients who went to the ED before surgery and 48,065 (78.9%) who did not. Having a preoperative ED visit significantly increased risk of a postoperative ED visit by 28.7 percentage points, 90-day readmission by 3.8 percentage points, and 30-day major-medical complications by 3.4 percentage points. Risk of these outcomes increased in a dose-dependent fashion. Compared with patients with zero preoperative ED visits, patients who had 6 or more preoperative ED visits had an 82.0 percentage point increase in risk for a postoperative ED visit, a 46.5 percentage point increase for six or more ED visits, a 6.1 percentage point increase for major medical complications, and 10.6% increase for readmission.

Patients with any preoperative ED visit had an increased risk for postoperative ED use, readmission, and medical complications. The risk difference increased with each additional preoperative visit. Patient counseling and protocols that reduce preventable ED visit in the preoperative period may reduce a patient's risk for costly postoperative complications.