Impact of Frailty and Comorbidities on Surgical Outcomes and Complications in Adult Spinal Disorders

STUDY DESIGN.Retrospective review of surgically treated 481 adult patients with spinal disorders OBJECTIVE.To elucidate the effect of frailty and comorbidities on postoperative health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and complication rates. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA.Elective surgeries for spinal disorders improve clinical outcomes but also have high complication rates. METHODS.We retrospectively reviewed the results of consecutive elective spine surgeries for 156 adult spinal deformity (ASDs:65±9yrs), 152 degenerative spondylolisthesis (DSs:64 ± 10yrs), or 173 lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCSs:71 ± 9yrs) with followed at least 2 years. Modified Frailty Index (mFI) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) were determined from baseline demographics. We compared the prevalence and the influence of mFI and CCI on postoperative outcomes and complication rates. RESULTS.The mFI and CCI were significantly worse in ASD than in others (mFIASD 0.09 ± 0.12, DS 0.06 ± 0.06, LSCS 0.04 ± 0.05, p