OBJECTIVE

To examine the impact of a nutrition support model, specifically focused on rapid recovery, on postoperative recovery in patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis who underwent minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF).

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted, utilizing the medical records of 114 patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis who underwent MIS-TLIF at the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine from February 2020 to October 2022. Among these patients, 63 individuals received a nutrition support model based on the concept of rapid recovery, comprising the observation group, while the remaining 51 patients received conventional postoperative support, forming the control group. The study compared the post-intervention lumbar function recovery, postoperative pain score, perioperative hospital stay, and patient satisfaction with nursing work between the two groups.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at 6 months after the intervention between the two groups (P>0.05). Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference in the modified Barthel index and visual analog scale scores at 6 months after the intervention between the two groups (P>0.05). In terms of operation time and intraoperative blood loss, there was no statistically significant difference observed between the observation group and the control group (P>0.05). However, when compared to the control group, the observation group showed significant shorter hospital stay and time to ambulation after the intervention, leading to a decrease in treatment cost (P<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, history of diabetes, nursing plan, operation time, and preoperative JOA score were identified as independent risk factors for prolonged hospital stay (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The nutrition support model, which is based on the concept of rapid recovery, has been found to have several benefits for patients with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis undergoing MIS-TLIF. These benefits include reducing the hospital stay, treatment cost, and the time to ambulation. Additionally, logistic regression analysis has identified several independent risk factors that can affect the length of hospital stay. These risk factors include age, history of diabetes, nursing plan, operation time, and preoperative JOA score.