Anyone with severe back pain may have thought about getting surgery and have wondered about the dangers associated with spinal surgery.
The good news is that spinal surgery mortality rates are relatively low. Statistics show that only 0.13% of all lumbar spine surgery patients died between 2007 and 2012. It also showed that mortality for simple spinal fusion surgery was 0.105%. For complex fusions it was 0.321%, and death due to decompressive surgery was at a rate of 0.081%.
Spinal fusion surgery is one of the most common spinal surgeries, and it comes with the highest success rate. However, every surgical procedure comes with potential complications. Back surgery statistics suggest a low complication rate, at just 7.6%, but complications are severe. Complications include death, disability, infection, paralysis and permanent disability.
On top of this, patients may not realize that the surgery failed until weeks or months later. The most common issue with spinal surgery is that patients get stuck in a series of spinal surgeries. Also known as FBSS, this requires the patient to undergo repeated back surgeries to remedy a problem that is persistent.
Unfortunately, the reality is that spinal surgery is riskier than other procedures and the recovery from spinal surgery can be lengthy and challenging.