A new study published in Clinical Spine Surgery compared patients who underwent two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusions in hospitals and ASCs.
The study authors examined 25 patients who underwent two-level procedures in the ASC and 58 who underwent surgery in a hospital. Study authors found:
1. Patients tended to be slightly older in the hospital group, 53.2 years old compared with 51.7 years old, and BMI was lower in the ASC group. The patients treated in the ASC had a BMI of 27.3, compared with 30.4 in the hospital.
2. The two groups reported no differences in blood loss or complication rate, and urinary retention was the most common complication for both ASC and hospital patients. One hospital-based patient required reintubation.
3. ASC-based patients were more likely to have a lower ASA 1 or 2 grade.
4. None of the patients in the ASC setting required hospitalization, and patient-reported outcomes were similar in both groups at six week and six months after surgery.
5. Study authors concluded "2-level ACDF can be performed safely in the ASC setting without increased risk of complications compared with the hospital setting in an appropriately selected patient."