Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41253302›Full record

ArticleAsian spine journal2026

Thoracolumbar spine surgery in the post-pandemic era: a national retrospective analysis of thrombotic complications, vaccination status, and prior hospitalization with COVID-19.

Serena Liu, Anthony Kohler Chiu, Rohan Iyer Suresh, Hershil Patel, Sandeep Bains, Brian Shear, Alex Ruditsky, Leah Henry, Jeremy Dubin, Amil Sahai and 7 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Asian spine journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Serena LiuDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Anthony Kohler ChiuDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Rohan Iyer SureshDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Hershil PatelDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Sandeep BainsRubin Institute for Advanced Orthopaedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Brian ShearDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Alex RuditskyDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Leah HenryDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jeremy DubinRubin Institute for Advanced Orthopaedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Amil SahaiDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Hans PrakashDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Idris AminDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Louis Joseph BivonaDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Julio Jose JaureguiDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Eugene Young KohDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Steven Charles LudwigDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Daniel Lee CavanaughDivision of Spine Surgery, Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA. dcavanaugh@som.umaryland.edu.

Funding

AO Spine North America Spine Fellowship SupportBaxterOMEGA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designRetrospective cohort study. PURPOSE: To compare thrombotic complication rates in thoracolumbar spine surgery patients before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Thrombotic complications are a major cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality in spine surgery. Both COVID-19 infection and vaccination have been linked to hypercoagulability. However, data on pre- versus post-pandemic thrombotic risk in spine surgery are limited, and the influence of infection severity or vaccination status has not been examined.

methodsAdult patients (≥18 years) undergoing primary thoracolumbar decompression with or without fusion were identified, excluding trauma and neoplastic cases. Patients were divided into "pre-COVID" and "post-COVID" cohorts. Outcomes included 90-day rates of postoperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), myocardial infarction (MI), and cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Cohorts were compared using Pearson's chi-square tests, and multivariable regression adjusted for demographics and comorbidities.

resultsA total of 784,498 patients were included. Post-COVID, rates of DVT (1.4% vs. 1.3%; risk ratio [RR], 1.11; p <0.001), PE (0.9% vs. 0.8%; RR, 1.14; p <0.001, and CVA (0.8% vs. 0.7%; RR, 1.17; p <0.001) were higher. Multivariable analysis demonstrated a 7% increase in odds of VTE post-COVID (odds ratios [OR], 1.07; p =0.002). Unvaccinated patients had a 6% higher odds of VTE (OR, 1.06; p =0.006), whereas vaccinated patients showed a nonsignificant increase (OR, 1.16; p =0.109). Patients with prior COVID-19 hospitalization had approximately double the odds of VTE (OR, 2.03; p =0.011).

conclusionsThrombotic complications modestly increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination status showed no clear association, while prior hospitalization for COVID-19 was the strongest predictor of postoperative thrombotic risk.

Indexed as

COVID-19Lumbar vertebraePostoperative complicationsPulmonary embolismThoracic vertebraeVenous thromboembolism

Identifiers

PMID41253302
PMCPMC13329236

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.