Postoperative and outcome variables of patients with infected spinal fusions in the implant retention and removal groups
| Variable | Group, no. (%)* | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All patients n = 35 | Implant retention n = 14 | Implant removal n = 21 | ||
| Initial irrigation and débridements, mean ± SD | 1.11 ± 1.84 | 1.07 ± 1.33 | 1.14 ± 2.15 | 0.90 |
| Antibiotic use (48 h postoperative) | 34 (97.1) | 14 (100) | 20 (95.2) | 0.41 |
| Immediate postoperative Cobb angle, mean ± SD | 29.4 ± 16.5 | 29.5 ± 15.8 | 29.2 ± 17.3 | 0.96 |
| Length of hospital stay, mean ± SD, d | 16.0 ± 19.8 | 20.4 ± 27.8 | 13.3 ± 12.6 | 0.32 |
| Transfusion | 4 (11.4) | 1 (7.1) | 3 (14.3) | 0.52 |
| Volume of transfusion, mean ± SD, mL/kg | 1.1 ± 3.6 | 0.4 ± 1.6 | 1.6 ± 4.4 | 0.36 |
| UTI | 7 (21.2) | 3 (21.4) | 4 (21.1) | 0.98 |
| Timing | < 0.001 | |||
| Early | 16 (45.7) | 12 (85.7) | 4 (19.1) | |
| Late | 19 (54.3) | 2 (14.3) | 17 (80.9) | |
| Location | 0.017 | |||
| Superficial | 6 (17.1) | 5 (35.7) | 1 (4.8) | |
| Deep | 29 (82.9) | 9 (64.3) | 20 (95.2) | |
| Pseudarthrosis | 8 (22.9) | 0 (0) | 8 (38.1) | 0.012 |
| Adjuvant antibiotic therapy | 33 (94.3) | 13 (92.9) | 20 (95.2) | 0.77 |
| Duration of antibiotic therapy, mean ± SD, d | 117.9 ± 107.1 | 122.9 ± 111.6 | 114.6 ± 106.6 | 0.83 |
| Culture | 0.014 | |||
| Gram-positive | 17 (50.0) | 6 (46.2) | 11 (52.4) | |
| Gram-negative | 5 (14.7) | 5 (38.5) | 0 (0) | |
| Atypicals | 2 (5.9) | 0 (0) | 2 (9.5) | |
| None isolated | 5 (14.7) | 0 (0) | 5 (23.8) | |
| Polymicrobial | 5 (14.7) | 2 (15.4) | 3 (14.3) | |
| Follow-up Cobb angle, mean ± SD | 37.2 ± 19.6 | 33.0 ± 17.6 | 39.7 ± 20.6 | 0.36 |
| Percent coronal loss, mean ± SD | 49.8 ± 93.2 | 20.3 ± 41.8 | 69.5 ± 112.3 | 0.08 |
| Curve progression rate, mean ± SD, °/yr | 3.8 ± 8.7 | 0.2 ± 4.7 | 5.8 ± 9.8 | 0.036 |
SD = standard deviation; UTI = urinary tract infection.
↵* Unless otherwise indicated.