Surgical Management of Spinal Epidural Abscess in Elderly Patients: A Comparative Analysis Between Patients 65–79 Years and ≥80 Years with 3-Year Follow-Up

Prospective insights into spinal surgery outcomes and adverse events: A comparative study between patients 65–79 years vs. ≥80 years from a German tertiary center

“…Previous studies from our study group focused on octogenarians have shown that heightened comorbidity rates significantly increase the likelihood of complications and, in certain instances, mortality ( Lenga et al, 2022a , 2022b , 2022c , 2022d , 2023b ). This observation is consistent with a retrospective study of 47 octogenarians with diverse spinal pathologies, where comorbidity rates emerged as a critical factor for adverse events (AEs), exhibiting a prevalence of 17.0%.…”

Mortality, complication risks, and clinical outcomes after surgical treatment of spinal epidural abscess: a comparative analysis of patients aged 18–64 years, 65–79 years, and ≥ 80 years, with a 3-year follow-up

“…As already shown in our previous studies on SEA [ 3 , 9 ], patient demographics, comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores, surgery duration, blood loss, number of treated spinal levels, perioperative and postoperative complications, hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) stay, readmission rate, reoperation rate, and mortality rate were retrieved from the patients’ electronic medical records. The age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was used to assess the comorbidities [ 10 , 11 ].…”

“…Prompt surgical decompression and evacuation with concurrent antibiotic treatment seem to be state-of-the-art therapy for such a condition, especially in the presence of neurological deficits [ 5 , 8 ]. Previous studies suggested that such therapeutic approaches might benefit older patients or even octogenarians by preserving or improving their neurological condition; nevertheless, a multidisciplinary approach and understanding of their unique needs are important aspects given their poor baseline reserve [ 3 , 9 ]. However, there is a lack of comparative studies involving young and older patients with SEA focusing on the outcomes after surgical management.…”

Surgical management of ventrally located cervical epidural abscess: A comparative analysis between patients aged 18–64 years and ≥65 years

“…Previous studies have suggested that surgical procedures can produce sufficient outcomes with a good safety profile even in this age group. 8 , 9 , 10 Various surgical procedures have been proposed, such as anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for ventrally located CSEA, corpectomy when osteomyelitis is present, or combined procedures. 11 …”