Abstract

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study.OBJECTIVE: To assess outcomes and mortality in elderly patients following unstable spine fractures depending on treatment modality.SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Operative management of unstable spine fractures in the elderly remains controversial due to increased risk of perioperative complications. Mortality rates after operative versus nonoperative treatment of these injuries have not been well-characterized.METHODS: Patients age >65 with unstable spine fractures without neurologic injury from 2015-2021 were identified from the Clinformatics Data Mart (CDM) Database. Demographics, complications, and mortality were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for the effect of baseline characteristics on mortality following unstable fracture diagnosis.RESULTS: Of 3,688 patients included, 1,330 (36.1%) underwent operative management and 2,358 (63.9%) nonoperative. At baseline, nonoperative patients were older, female, had higher Elixhauser comorbidity scores, and were more likely to have a cervical fracture. Operative patients had a longer length of stay in the hospital compared to nonoperative patients (9.7 vs. 7.7d; P<0.001). Although patients in the operative group had higher rates of readmission at 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120-days after diagnosis (P<0.01), they had lower mortality rates up to 5 years after injury. After adjusting for covariates, nonoperative patients had a 60% greater risk of mortality compared to operative patients (HR: 1.60 [1.40-1.78], P<0.001). After propensity score matching, operative patients age 65-85 had greater survivorship compared to their nonoperative counterparts.CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with an unstable spine fracture who undergo surgery experience lower mortality rates up to five years post diagnosis compared to patients who received nonoperative management, despite higher hospital readmission rates and an overall perioperative complication rate of 37.3%. Operating on elderly patients with unstable spine fractures may outweigh the risks and should be considered as a viable treatment option in appropriately selected patients.

View details for DOI 10.1097/BRS.0000000000004466

View details for PubMedID 36083602