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. 2024 Mar;14(2):667-675.
doi: 10.1177/21925682221120788. Epub 2022 Aug 15.

Weekend Admission Increases Risk of Readmissions Following Elective Thoracolumbar Spinal Fusion

Ashley Rosenberg  1 , Calista Dominy  1 , Brian T Bueno  1 , Sara Pasik  1 , Brandon Yeshoua  1 , Brian Cho  1 , Varun Arvind  1 , Aly A Valliani  1 , Jonathan Markowitz  1 , Jun S Kim  1 , Samuel K Cho  1
Affiliations

Weekend Admission Increases Risk of Readmissions Following Elective Thoracolumbar Spinal Fusion

Ashley Rosenberg et al. Global Spine J. 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Study design: Retrospective database study.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the influence of weekend admission on patients undergoing elective thoracolumbar spinal fusion by investigating hospital readmission outcomes and analyzing differences in demographics, comorbidities, and postoperative factors.

Methods: The 2016-2018 Nationwide Readmission Database was used to identify adult patients who underwent elective thoracolumbar spinal fusion. The sample was divided into weekday and weekend admission patients. Demographics, comorbidities, complications, and discharge status data were compiled. The primary outcomes were 30-day and 90-day readmission. Univariate logistic regression analyzed the relationship between weekday or weekend admission and 30- or 90-day readmission, and multivariate regression determined the impact of covariates.

Results: 177,847 patients were identified in total, with 176,842 in the weekday cohort and 1005 in the weekend cohort. Multivariate regression analysis found that 30-day readmissions were significantly greater for the weekend cohort after adjusting for sex, age, Medicare or Medicaid status, and comorbidity status (OR 2.00, 95% CI: 1.60-2.48; P < .001), and 90-day readmissions were also greater for the weekend cohort after adjustment (OR 2.01, 95% CI: 1.68-2.40, P < .001).

Conclusions: Patients undergoing elective thoracolumbar spinal fusion surgery who are initially admitted on weekends are more likely to experience hospital readmission. These patients have increased incidence of deep vein thrombosis, postoperative infection, and non-routine discharge status. These factors are potential areas of focus for reducing the impact of the "weekend effect" and improving outcomes for elective thoracolumbar spinal fusion.

Keywords: weekend, thoracolumbar, thoracic, lumbar, admission, readmission, fusion, elective.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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