Best practice determination of timing of spinal fracture fixation as defined by analysis of the National Trauma Data Bank.
BACKGROUND
To examine the efficacy of early versus late spinal fracture fixation, we reviewed National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) records to identify the breakpoint in reported timing of operative fixation. Using this breakpoint we then analyzed outcome for those treated early versus late, hypothesizing that the early group would experience better outcome as reflected by resource utilization and complications.


METHODS
The NTDB was queried for patients with any level spinal fracture that required surgical stabilization. Histogram analysis of the postinjury day of initial operative fixation was used to determine the point at which the majority of operative procedures had been performed, thereby defining early (E) and late (L) groups. Patients in E were matched to a cohort from L with similar age, Injury Severity Score, and Glasgow Coma Scale. Outcome data included hospital length of stay, intensive care unit length of stay, ventilator days, charges, incidence of complications, and mortality. The groups were compared using Student's t test for continuous variables and Fisher's exact test for categorical variables, accepting p < or = 0.05 as significant.


RESULTS
Of 16,812 patients who underwent operative fixation, 59% were completed within 3 days of injury and formed E. The 374 L patients whose dataset was complete enough to allow analysis were matched to 497 E patients. There was no significant difference in the presence of spinal cord injury between E and L (51 vs. 48%; p = 0.3735). Complications were significantly higher in L (30% vs. 17.5%; p < 0.0001) yet mortality was similar in both groups (2.0% vs.1.9%; p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
NTDB records indicate that the majority of patients with spinal fractures undergo operative fixation within 3 days, and that these patients had less complications and required less resources. Use of a national data bank to compare groups with similar injury severity and presenting physiology can validate best practice and define opportunities for improvement in care.
Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma/Critical Care, University of Florida Health Science Center-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, USA. andy.kerwin@jax.ufl.edu
Andrew J
AJ
Kerwin
Margaret M
MM
Griffen
Joseph J
JJ
Tepas
Miren A
MA
Schinco
Terri
T
Devin
Eric R
ER
Frykberg
D000328:Adult; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005593:Fracture Fixation, Internal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D016469:Fungemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007902:Length of Stay; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D011859:Radiography; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D013997:Time Factors; D014193:Trauma Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology