Predictors of 30-Day Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Open Reduction and Internal Fixation of Vertebral Fractures

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of vertebral fractures. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2010 to 2014. Adult patients who underwent ORIF of vertebral fractures were included and divided into 2 groups based on the occurrence of 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications. Baseline patient and operative characteristics were compared between the 2 groups. Multivariate regression (MVR) analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for pulmonary complications. RESULTS: A total of 900 patients were included in our cohort. The overall 30-day pulmonary complication rate was 5.67%. Patients who had a pulmonary complication after vertebral ORIF were more often men and more often had diabetes, functional dependence, American Society of Anesthesiologists score classification of 3 or higher, pulmonary comorbidity, renal comorbidity, and preoperative anemia. The pulmonary complication group also had a higher incidence of 30-day mortality, prolonged hospitalization, pneumonia, cardiac complications, urinary tract infection, blood transfusion, and sepsis. The MVR analysis found that pulmonary comorbidity (odds ratio [OR], 5.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5-11.5; P < 0.001), diabetes (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.0-4.2; P = 0.037), partial or dependent functional status (OR, 4.7; 95% CI, 2.2-10.2; P < 0.001), and cervical spine involvement (OR, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.7-8.0; P = 0.001) were independent predictors of pulmonary complications. CONCLUSIONS: Early identification of risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications is important in the evaluation of patients with vertebral fractures for surgical decision-making, preoperative optimization, and subsequent postoperative care to improve patient outcomes and minimize morbidity.