Abstract
Study design
A retrospective review of medical records.
Objective
The objective of this study was to examine probability of survival after 90- and 180-days after surgery, to document the rehabilitation needs, patients discharge destination, and whether discharge destination, re-admission, and probability of survival among patients with metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) were associated with potential risk factors.
Setting
Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet that serves a population of 2.8 million people from the Eastern part of Denmark, Faroe Islands, and Greenland.
Methods
Adult (≥18 years) patients with MSCC undergoing surgery in 2017–2018 were included. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate the probability of survival after 90- and 180-days, rehabilitation needs documented in the patient’s medical record, and discharge destination. Univariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between a priory defined potential risk factors for mortality and readmission.
Results
Seventy-four medical records were included in final analysis. The probability of survival after 90- and 180-days post-surgery were 78% and 57%, respectively. Higher age was the only defined variable that was significantly associated with higher mortality. Ninety-three percent of the patient’s medical records described rehabilitation potential, but only 44.6% of the patients were discharged with a rehabilitation plan. Seventy-three percent of the patients were discharged to their home. None had a specialized rehabilitation plan.
Conclusion
Almost all patients diagnosed with MSCC have a rehabilitation potential described in their medical records. However, only half of these patients are discharged with a rehabilitation plan indicating an unmet potential for rehabilitation.
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Data availability
All data requests should be submitted to the corresponding author for consideration. Access to anonymised data may be granted following review.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the valuable assistance from the consumer organization for individuals with spinal cord injury in Denmark (RYK- Rygmarvsskadede i Danmark) with securing the relevance of the research questions.
Funding
No external funding was obtained for this study. All authors were employed at there respective affiliations.
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All authors (JC, FBS, SSM and KlC) contributed to the design of the study (and the writing of the study protocol), and implementation of the research, and to the writing of the manuscript. JC conducted all analysis.
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We certify that all applicable institutional and governmental regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during the course of this research.
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The authors report no conflicts of interest. No external funding was obtained for this study. The first authors salary was split equally between Department of Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, and REHPA—The Danish Knowledge Centre on Rehabilitation and Palliative Care, University of Southern Denmark.
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Christensen, J., Biering-Sørensen, F., Morgen, S.S. et al. Survival, discharge destination, and referral for rehabilitation after metastatic spinal cord compression surgery. Spinal Cord Ser Cases 7, 63 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-021-00428-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-021-00428-z
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