Survival, discharge destination, and referral for rehabilitation after metastatic spinal cord compression surgery

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Study design: A retrospective review of medical records. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine probability of survival after 90- and 180-days after surgery, to document the rehabilitation needs, patients discharge destination, and whether discharge destination, re-admission, and probability of survival among patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) were associated with potential risk factors. Setting: Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet that serves a population of 2.8 million people from the Eastern part of Denmark, Faroe Islands, and Greenland. Methods: Adult (≥18 years) patients with MSCC undergoing surgery in 2017–2018 were included. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate the probability of survival after 90- and 180-days, rehabilitation needs documented in the patient’s medical record, and discharge destination. Univariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between a priory defined potential risk factors for mortality and readmission. Results: Seventy-four medical records were included in final analysis. The probability of survival after 90- and 180-days post-surgery were 78% and 57%, respectively. Higher age was the only defined variable that was significantly associated with higher mortality. Ninety-three percent of the patient’s medical records described rehabilitation potential, but only 44.6% of the patients were discharged with a rehabilitation plan. Seventy-three percent of the patients were discharged to their home. None had a specialized rehabilitation plan. Conclusion: Almost all patients diagnosed with MSCC have a rehabilitation potential described in their medical records. However, only half of these patients are discharged with a rehabilitation plan indicating an unmet potential for rehabilitation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number63
JournalSpinal cord series and cases
Volume7
ISSN2058-6124
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to International Spinal Cord Society.

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