Preoperative smoking status was not observed to be associated with postoperative mortality , cardiovascular complications , bleedings , anastomotic leakage , or allograft rejection .
CONCLUSIONS Preoperative smoking was found to be associated with an increased risk of the following postoperative complications : general morbidity , wound complications , general infections , pulmonary complications , neurological complications , and admission to the intensive care unit
OBJECTIVE To systematic ally review and summarize the evidence of an association between preoperative smoking status and postoperative complications elaborated on complication type .
BACKGROUND The conclusions of studies examining the association between preoperative smoking and postoperative complications are inconsistent , thus there is a need for a review and meta- analysis to summarize the existing evidence .
Risk Factors for Infection After Spinal Surgery
Study Design . A retrospective case control analysis of 48 cases of postoperative infection following spinal procedures .  Objectives . Spinal procedures that became infected after surgery were analyzed to identify the significance of preoperative and intraoperative risk factors . Characterization of the nature and timing of the infections was also performed . Summary of Background Data . The rate of postoperative infection following  spinal surgery  varies widely depending on the nature of the procedure and the patient ’s diagnosis . Preoperative comorbidities and risk factors also influence the likelihood of infection . Methods . A review of 1629 procedures performed on 1095 patients revealed that a postoperative infection  developed in 48 patients ( 4.4 % ) . Data regarding preoperative and intraoperative risk factors were gathered from patient charts for these and a r and omly selected control group of 95 uninfected patients . For analysis , these patient groups were further divided into adult and pediatric subgroups , with an age cutoff of 18 years . Preoperative risk factors review ed included smoking , diabetes , previous surgery , previous infection , steroid use , body mass index , and alcohol abuse . Intraoperative factors review ed included staging of procedures , estimated blood loss , operating time , and use of allograft or instrumentation . Results . The majority of infections occurred during the early postoperative period ( less than 3 months ) . Age > 60 years , smoking , diabetes , previous surgical infection , increased body mass index , and alcohol abuse were statistically significant preoperative risk factors . The most likely procedure to be complicated by an infection was a combined anterior/posterior spinal fusion performed in a staged manner under separate anesthesia . Infections were primarily monomicrobial , although 5 patients had more than 4 organisms identified . The most common organism cultured from the wounds was Staphylococcus aureus . All patients were treated with surgical irrigation and débridement , and appropriate antibiotics to treat the cultured organism . Conclusions . Aggressive treatment of patients undergoing complex or prolonged spinal procedures is essential to prevent and treat infections . Underst and ing a patient ’s preoperative risk factors may help the physician to optimize a patient ’s preoperative condition . Additionally , awareness of critical intraoperative parameters will helpto optimize surgical treatment . It may be appropriate to increase the duration of prophylactic antibiotics or implement other measures to decrease the incidence of infection for high risk patients
Preoperative smoking status was not observed to be associated with postoperative mortality , cardiovascular complications , bleedings , anastomotic leakage , or allograft rejection .
CONCLUSIONS Preoperative smoking was found to be associated with an increased risk of the following postoperative complications : general morbidity , wound complications , general infections , pulmonary complications , neurological complications , and admission to the intensive care unit
OBJECTIVE To systematic ally review and summarize the evidence of an association between preoperative smoking status and postoperative complications elaborated on complication type .
BACKGROUND The conclusions of studies examining the association between preoperative smoking and postoperative complications are inconsistent , thus there is a need for a review and meta- analysis to summarize the existing evidence .