A new study published in Spine examines the safety of minimally invasive lumbar decompression in the ambulatory setting.
Researchers examined patients who underwent revision minimally invasive lumbar laminectomy and/or discectomy for degeneration between 2013 and 2017. Thirty-five patients underwent surgery at a hospital-based center and 35 had surgery at an ASC. Study authors found:
1. Patients at both care settings reported similar postoperative visual analog scale pain scores. They also had similar hourly narcotic consumption.
2. Patients treated in the ASC had a shorter length of stay, 2.7 hours, compared with hospital-based patients, who stayed on average of 11.6 hours after surgery.
3. Study authors concluded minimally invasive revision lumbar discectomy can be safely performed in ambulatory settings for the appropriate patient population.
4. The study authors recommended additional outcomes study for patients who undergo surgery outside the hospital setting.