Longer operative time associated with prolonged length of stay, non-home discharge and transfusion requirement after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: an analysis of 24,593 cases

Prolonged operative time of single-level ACDF has been associated with adverse postoperative outcomes. The current literature does not contain a comprehensive quantitative description of these associations PURPOSE: This study characterized the associations between single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion(ACDF) operative time and (1)30-day postoperative healthcare utilization, and (2)the incidence of local wound complications, need for transfusion and mechanical ventilation.Retrospective database analysis PATIENT SAMPLE: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program(ACS-NSQIP) database was queried for single-level ACDF cases(2012-2018) using current procedural terminology codes. A total of 24,593 cases were included.Primary outcomes included healthcare utilization(lengths of stay[LOS], discharge dispositions, 30-day readmissions, and reoperations) per operative time category. The secondary outcome was the incidence of wound complications, blood transfusion and need for ventilation per operative time category.Multivariate regression determined operative time categories associated with increased risk while adjusting for patient demographics and comorbidities. Predictive spline regression models visualized the associations.Compared to the reference operative time of 81-100-minutes, the 101-120-minute category was associated with higher odds of LOS >2 days(OR:1.36,95%CI(1.18-1.568);p<.001) and non-home discharge(OR:1.341,95%CI(1.081-1.664);p=.008). Three-times greater odds of LOS >2 days(OR:3.367,95%CI(2.719-4.169); p<.001) and twice the odds of non-home discharge(OR:2.174,95%CI(1.563-3.022);p<.001) were detected at 181-200-minutes. The highest operative time category(≥221 minutes) was associated with the highest odds of LOS>2 days(OR:4.838,95%CI(4.032-5.804);p<.001), non-home discharge(OR:2.687,95%CI(2.045-3.531);p<.001) and reoperation(OR:1.794,95%CI(1.094-2.943);p=.021). Patients within the 201-220 and the ≥221-minute categories exhibited a significant association with greater odds of transfusion(OR:8.57,95%CI(2.321-31.639);p<.001, and OR:11.699, 95%CI(4.179-32.749);p=.001, respectively). Spline regression demonstrated that the odds of LOS >2 days, non-home discharge disposition, reoperation and bleeding requiring transfusion events began to rise, starting at 94, 91.6, 91.6, and 93.3 minutes of operative time, respectively.This study demonstrated that prolonged operative time is associated with increased odds of healthcare utilization and transfusion after single-level ACDF. Operative times greater than 91 minutes may carry higher odds of postoperative complications.