Incidence of sacral fractures and in-hospital postoperative complications in the United States: an analysis of 2002-2011 data.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective study of an administrative database.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the incidence of sacral fractures in the United States and report short-term outcomes after their surgical management.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

The incidence of sacral fractures in the United States is currently unknown, and these lesions have been associated with significant morbidity after their surgical management.

METHODS

This study used the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database for the years 2002-2011. All patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of a sacral fracture with and without a neurological injury were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Patients with a diagnosis of osteoporosis or pathological fracture were excluded. A stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with an in-hospital complication.

RESULTS

During the study period, 10,177 patients with a nonosteoporotic sacral fracture were identified, of whom 1002 patients underwent surgery. Between 2002 and 2011, the estimated incidence of sacral fractures increased from 0.67 per 100,000 persons to 2.09 (P < 0.001). Similarly, the rate of surgical treatment for sacral fractures increased from 0.05 per 100,000 persons in 2002 to 0.24 per 100,000 in 2011 (P < 0.001). Complications occurred in 25.95% of patients and remained steady over time (P = 0.992). Average length of stay significantly decreased from 11.93 days to 9.66 days in the 10-year period (P = 0.023). The independent factors associated with an in-hospital complication were congestive heart failure (odds ratio, 3.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-11.26), coagulopathy (odds ratio, 3.58; 95% confidence interval, 1.88-6.81), and electrolyte abnormalities (odds ratio, 3.28; 95% confidence interval, 2.14-5.02).

CONCLUSION

During the examined 10-year period, both the incidence of nonosteoporotic sacral fractures and the surgical treatment of these lesions increased in the United States. Between 2002 and 2011, although patient comorbidity increased, in-hospital complication rates remained stable and length of stay significantly decreased over time.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE