Patient Comorbidities, Their Influence on Lumbar Spinal… : JAAOS – Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
population and the rise in the number of patients with more than two comorbidities. Managing patients with multiple comorbidities requires additional resources, augmenting the financial and societal burden. Despite the high risk of complications and mortality, patients with multiple comorbidities undergo spinal surgery for degenerative spinal conditions daily. These findings highlight the need for heightened awareness, patient education, and management of comorbidities before elective spinal surgeries. This article comprehensively reviews literature on the effects of medical comorbidities on spinal fusion surgery outcomes to increase awareness of the surgical complications associated with comorbidities. In addition, suggested preoperative and postoperative comorbidity management strategies are outlined….