In terms of peri-op complications, it's mostly the bleeding issues, but there are just generally more risks the longer one is under anesthesia. In terms of post-op complications, you can simply do the math. For examine, if there is a 2% risk of a pseudarthrosis in patients with 6 fusion levels, there is probably somewhere in the neighborhood of a 4% risk in patients with 12 fusion levels. I don't know whether the study that Dr. Deviren mentioned controlled for patient age. On average, the older you are, the larger the number of fusions needed. So, it could simply be a matter of age = higher peri-op complication risk.
Ed, Dr. Hu had to leave because her daughter had some school function. Although she works pretty long hours, I think she generally tries to not let work take over her life. Dr. Berven was on call this weekend. He had to do an emergency surgery Saturday afternoon, and again after we finished around 6PM Saturday night. When I left work around 7 tonight, he was still there, with one emergency surgery still left to do, after having been awake and operating or seeing patients since 4PM on Sunday. If he's lucky, he'll be able to get home and pack before a 1AM flight to the other side of the world. I frequently tell people that he's a super hero, with his super power being that he never has to sleep (with the exception of a few moments when a patient won't stop talking ;-)
--Linda
Ed, Dr. Hu had to leave because her daughter had some school function. Although she works pretty long hours, I think she generally tries to not let work take over her life. Dr. Berven was on call this weekend. He had to do an emergency surgery Saturday afternoon, and again after we finished around 6PM Saturday night. When I left work around 7 tonight, he was still there, with one emergency surgery still left to do, after having been awake and operating or seeing patients since 4PM on Sunday. If he's lucky, he'll be able to get home and pack before a 1AM flight to the other side of the world. I frequently tell people that he's a super hero, with his super power being that he never has to sleep (with the exception of a few moments when a patient won't stop talking ;-)
--Linda
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