The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was retrospectively reviewed from 2005–2013. Using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes, adult patients (>18 years of age) were selected if they underwent spinal fusion for an included diagnosis. This study was deemed exempt from review by our institutional review board (Study ID: 1847009-2).
Patients were divided into three cohorts based on the spinal region fused. The first cohort consisted of patients with cervical radiculopathy (72.10, 72.20, 72.24, 722.81, 722.91) or myelopathy (72.11, 722.71) who underwent 2–3-level ACDF (81.02, 81.03, 81.32, 81.33). The second cohort consisted of patients with ASD, identified as those with idiopathic scoliosis (737.30, 737.32) or degenerative disc disease (737.10, 737.20, 722.52, 722.51, 724.02, 721.3, 738.4, 722.10, 756.12, 722.73, 721.42, 724.01, 721.2, 722.72, 721.41, 722.11, 724.03, 756.11) who underwent ≥4-level thoracolumbar fusion (81.63, 81.64). The third cohort consisted of patients with degenerative disc disease who underwent 2–3-level lumbar fusion (81.62). Patients in each procedural cohort were then stratified based on the presence or absence of AHIV (ICD9 CM code V08), indicating if a patient is positive for HIV infection but no longer has detectable levels.
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