Lumbar Laminectomy in the Outpatient Setting Is Associated With Lower 30-Day Complication Rates

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:To compare the incidence of complications in patients undergoing single-level and 2-level lumbar laminectomy in either the inpatient or outpatient settings.Methods:Patients who underwent single-level and 2-level lumbar laminectomy were identified in the ACS NSQIP database from the years 2006 to 2015. Independent patient variables were recorded, including demographics and preoperative health characteristics. Logistic regression was used to determine the risk of postoperative complications for both a 1- and 2-level lumbar laminectomy as well as to identify independent risk factors for a complication. Comparisons were made between 2 groups: (1) inpatient and (2) outpatient as determined by billing data.Results:A total of 18 076 single- and 2-level lumbar laminectomy cases were identified with 10 743 (59.4%) inpatient procedures and 7333 (40.6%) outpatient procedures. The incidence of any postoperative complication was significantly lower in the outpatient gr...