Anxiety’s Impact on Length of Stay Following Lumbar Spinal Surgery.

Anxiety’s Impact on Length of Stay Following Lumbar Spinal Surgery.

Perm J. 2015;19(4):58-60

Authors: Floyd H, Sanoufa M, Robinson JS

Abstract
The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 307 patients who consecutively underwent elective lumbar decompression and fusion surgery from October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2013. This study suggests that those with a diagnosis of anxiety who are medicated for the condition have a longer length of stay than those with no diagnosis of anxiety, and who are not medicated for the condition. This could be because when these patients are required to be nil per os for 12 hours before surgery it leaves them vulnerable to states of anxiety.

PMID: 26517435 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]