PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Thomas, George
AU  - Zhang, Jeff F.
AU  - Chaudhry, Taimur
AU  - Almeida, Neil D.
AU  - Gupta, Puneet
AU  - Thomas, John
AU  - Levy, Bennett R.
AU  - Almeida, Nyle C.
AU  - Sherman, Jonathan H.
TI  - Postoperative Morbidity and Mortality in Lumbar Spine Surgery Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease and Chronic Steroid Use
AID  - 10.14444/8418
DP  - 2023 Feb 13
TA  - International Journal of Spine Surgery
PG  - 8418
4099  - https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/early/2023/02/12/8418.short
4100  - https://www.ijssurgery.com/content/early/2023/02/12/8418.full
AB  - Background Perioperative steroids have traditionally been administered during lumbar spine surgery in order to decrease local inflammation and prevent scar tissue formation, which can otherwise contribute to significant, long-lasting postoperative pain due to the formation of epidural fibrosis around lumbar nerve roots. However, the use of steroids in lumbar spine patients has raised concerns of postoperative wound complications caused by corticosteroid-induced immunomodulatory effects and changes in collagen synthesis. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing spine surgery are at a particularly elevated risk of various complications due to chronic CKD-related systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. It is currently uncertain whether chronic steroid use in CKD patients exerts a protective effect postoperatively due to decreased systemic inflammation or instead is correlated with increased rates of wound complications.Results Using adjusted odds ratios to control for CKD-related comorbidities, our study of lumbar spine fusion patients who were chronic steroid users vs nonusers found no significant differences in rates of postoperative wound infections in later stage CKD patients. However, we also did not observe statistically significant reductions in hospital length of stay or rates of 30-day mortality, sepsis, or cardiac, pulmonary, and renal events.Conclusions Our results indicate chronic steroid use neither contributes significantly to rates of wound infections nor exerts a protective effect against postoperative inflammatory complications in lumbar spine patients with CKD.Clinical Relevance Our findings do not support the practice of holding steroids in chronic users prior to lumbar spine surgery. Perioperative steroids do not appear to increase the risk of postoperative complications, but neither do they improve lumbar spine patient outcomes.Level of Evidence 4.