New Care Pathway to Decrease the Length of Stay and Costs of Single Level Lumbar Fusion

Newswise — SAN DIEGO (April 17, 2019) — Winner of the Robert Florin Award, Samer Zammar, MD, presented his research, New Care Pathway to Decrease the Length of Stay and Costs of Single Level Lumbar Fusion, during the 2019 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting.

Single level lumbar fusion is a procedure associated with a relatively narrow set of indications. It requires multiple surgical steps and exploits the use of implanted hardware. The patient usually requires an inpatient stay and utilizes multiple hospital services, including radiology, physical therapy and rehabilitation medicine. The authors implemented a new perioperative pathway for these patients in an attempt to decrease the length of stay (LOS) of patients undergoing single level lumbar fusion.

At the conclusion of their research, it was found that the newly implemented multidisciplinary perioperative pathway significantly decreased the LOS and the total costs for patients with single level lumbar fusion without affecting the quality of care. This new pathway merits the discussion in other surgical indications, due to its potential beneficial effects to the patient and the hospital.

Author Block: Samer G. Zammar, MD MPH (Hershey, Penn.); Brian E. Anderson; G. Timothy Reiter, MD; Abraham K. Schlauderaff, MD

Disclosure: The author reported no conflicts of interest.

Media Representatives: The 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website’s press section includes releases on highlighted scientific research, AANS officers and award winners and other relevant information about the 2019 program. Releases will be posted on the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting website. If you have interest in a topic related to neurosurgery or would like to interview a neurosurgeon — either onsite or via telephone — during or after the event, please contact Alice Kelsey, AANS associate executive director, via email at [email protected].

About the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting
Attended by neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals and other medical professionals, the AANS Annual Scientific Meeting is the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, with an emphasis on the field’s latest research and technological advances. The scientific presentations accepted for the 2019 event will represent cutting-edge examples of the incredible developments taking place within the field of neurosurgery. Find additional information about the 2019 AANS Annual Scientific Meeting and the meeting program here.

About the AANS
Founded in 1931 as the Harvey Cushing Society, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) is a scientific and educational association with more than 11,500 members worldwide. The AANS promotes the highest quality of patient care and advances the specialty of neurological surgery. Fellows of the AANS are board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, A.C. Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of disorders that affect the spinal column, spinal cord, brain, nervous system and peripheral nerves.

For more information, visit www.AANS.org.