Spine
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Systematic analysis. ⋯ Based on the summary of criteria results, future research evaluating complications following surgery for odontoid fractures in elderly patients is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate currently available in the literature.
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Systematic review. ⋯ Venous thromboembolism is uncommon after elective spine surgery. Trauma patients are at increased risk, and chemical prophylaxis should be considered. The safe timing of the administration of anticoagulation agents is unknown.
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Systematic review. ⋯ Vascular injury in anterior lumbosacral surgery remains low, with reports being <5%. The consequences of injury seem rare, but may include thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and prolonged hospitalization. Exposure and surgery at L4-L5 may be associated with a higher risk of injury than that at L5-S1, though the data are not consistent.
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Systematic review. ⋯ We define a complication as an unintended and undesirable diagnostic or therapeutic event that may impact the patient's care. Complications should be recorded and analyzed relative to disease severity, patient comorbidities, and ultimately their effect on patient outcomes. Further work needs to be done to develop a complication risk impact index that has the ability to help us assess and communicate the interaction of patient comorbidities and complication severity on patient centered outcomes.
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Prospective cohort study. ⋯ After adjusting for the number of years since surgery, metal implant exposure is positively associated with elevated serum chromium levels in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients with stainless steel posterior spinal implants. This is the first study to identify statistically significant positive associations between specific spinal implant characteristics (other than corrosion identified by radiographs) and serum chromium levels.