Table 4

Incidence trends of most common medical complication among patients with an ECI score of 1 to 5 undergoing primary 1- to 2-level primary lumbar fusion within the Medicare database.

Medical ComplicationIncidence of Medical Complications Based on ECI Score, % P Value
ECI 1ECI 2ECI 3ECI 4ECI 5
Pneumoniae0.13%0.25%0.24%0.31%0.22%<0.0001
Deep vein thromboses0.05%0.06%0.06%0.06%0.11%<0.0001
Cerebrovascular accidents0.28%0.33%0.40%0.46%0.40%<0.0001
Myocardial infarctions0.19%0.24%0.27%0.30%0.32%<0.0001
Total0.65%0.88%0.97%1.13%1.05%<0.0001
  • Abbreviation: ECI, Elixhauser Comorbidity Index.