Table 2

Major medical complications, wound complications, and mortality following surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, patients aged 66 years or older, 2007

		n	Cardiopulmonary complications or stroke,n (percent)	Wound complication, n (percent)	Mortality 30- days, n (percent)
Overall		32,152	984 (3.1%)	398 (1.2%)	128 (0.4%)
Age Category	66–70	8,554	215 (2.5)*	98 (1.1)	27 (0.3)*
	71–74	7,383	208 (2.8)	87 (1.2)	22 (0.3)
	75–79	8,667	286 (3.3)	120 (1.4)	32 (0.4)
	80+	7,548	275 (3.6)	93 (1.2)	47 (0.6)
Sex	Female	17,243	512 (3.0)	219 (1.3)	56 (0.3)*
	Male	14,909	472 (3.2)	179 (1.2)	72 (0.5)
Race/ Ethnicity	White	30,182	913 (3.0)*	374 (1.2)	116 (0.4)*
	Non-White	1970	71 (3.6)	24 (1.2)	12 (0.6)
Quan Comorbidity Score	0	16,631	412 (2.5)*	199 (1.2)*	43 (0.3)*
	1	9,731	304 (3.1)	111 (1.1)	36 (0.4)
	2	3,432	138 (4.0)	45 (1.3)	23 (0.7)
	3 or more	2,358	125 (5.3)	43 (1.8)	26 (1.1)
Chronic Pulmonary disease	Yes	5,525	272 (4.9)*	77 (1.4)	35 (0.6)*
	No	26,627	712 (2.7)	321 (1.2)	93 (0.3)
Previous spine surgery	Yes	2,196	87 (4.0)*	101 (4.6)*	--**
	No	29,956	897 (3.0)	297 (1.0)	121 (0.4)
Non-lumbar Hospitalizations in previous year	0	24,597	700 (2.8)*	288 (1.2)*	82 (0.3)*
	1	4,836	164 (3.4)	63 (1.3)	19 (0.4)
	2	1,689	68 (4.0)	22 (1.3)	13 (0.8)
	3 or more	1030	52 (5.0)	25 (2.4)	14 (1.4)
Type of surgical procedure	Decompression	21,474	458 (2.1)*	196 (0.9)*	72 (0.3)*
	Simple fusion	6,082	285 (4.7)	100 (1.6)	28 (0.5)
	Complex fusion	4,596	241 (5.2)	102 (2.2)	28 (0.6)
Number of disc levels fused	None or unknown	21,960	508 (2.3)*	216 (1.0)*	77 (0.4)*
	1–2	8,386	356 (4.2)	133 (1.6)	31 (0.4)
	3 or more	1,806	120 (6.6)	49 (2.7)	20 (1.1)

^*Differences among subgroups significant, p<0.05

^**Suppressed for cell count less than 10