Is it really necessary for routine postoperative laboratory tests after lumbar spinal surgery?

Is it really necessary for routine postoperative laboratory tests after lumbar spinal surgery?

World Neurosurg. 2019 Jan 21;:

Authors: Lin JM, Cao ZY, Peng AF, Chen T, Zhou Y, Huang SH, Liu JM, Liu ZL

Abstract
BACKGROUND: For patients undergoing lumbar spinal surgery, many surgeons routinely perform laboratory tests within 3 days after surgery. However, few studies have reported the necessary of routine laboratory tests for uncomplicated patient within 3 days after surgery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study including patient with lumbar degenerative disease undergoing lumbar spinal surgery from May 2014 to May 2017 was conducted. The perioperative information of the patients was recorded. The abnormal postoperative laboratory tests were noted. And the incidence and risk factors for patients needing postoperative clinical treatment were analyzed.
RESULTS: A total of 1915 patients were included in this study. And 45.43% (870 cases) of these patients were ordered postoperative laboratory tests. Of these patients, only a small part required postoperative clinical intervention due to abnormal serum hemoglobin (2.53%), albumin (1.95%), serum potassium (0.92%) and serum calcium (6.55%). Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis, female and operative time were identified to be the risk factors for blood transfusion after lumbar spinal surgery. Age and operative time were the risk factors for requiring albumin supplementation after lumbar spinal surgery. And intraoperative blood loss and operative time were found to be the independent risk factors for requiring calcium supplementation after surgery.
CONCLUSIONS: Due to a small number of postoperative clinical interventions for abnormal laboratory tests, we suggested that routine laboratory tests within 3 days after lumbar spinal surgery in uncomplicated patients were unnecessary. Operative time was a potential risk factor for patients requiring clinical treatment after lumbar spinal surgery.

PMID: 30677571 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

from A via a.sfakia on Inoreader http://bit.ly/2RTACju