Serotonergic Antidepressants Are Associated With Higher Rates of Hematoma After Anterior Cervical Spine Surgery: A Large Propensity-Matched Cohort Analysis.

Abstract

Large database propensity-matched retrospective cohort analysis. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of serotonergic antidepressants on outcomes after anterior cervical spine surgery. It was hypothesized that the perioperative use of serotonergic antidepressants would be associated with higher rates of hematoma formation and worse outcomes after anterior cervical spine surgery. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) have been associated with worse outcomes after orthopedic procedures. A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using TriNetX, an aggregated and de-identified electronic health record platform. Patients who underwent anterior cervical surgery were included through Current Procedural Terminology codes and the International Classification of Disease, 10th Revision, encounter diagnosis codes. Cohorts were 1:1 propensity-matched across 7 demographic and medical comorbidity parameters, and outcomes were compared. The incidence of adverse outcomes, as well as health care utilization, within 14 days, 30 days, 90 days, and 2 years postoperatively was evaluated. Following propensity matching, each cohort consisted of 9249 patients, for a total of 18,498 patients included in the final statistical analysis. SSRIs/SNRIs were associated with higher odds of hematoma formation within 7 days [0.69% vs . 0.46%, odds ratio (OR): 1.5 (95% CI: 1.02-2.2), P = 0.04] and within 14 days postoperatively [0.81% vs . 0.52%, OR: 1.6 (95% CI: 1.1-2.3), P = 0.01]. Within 30 and 90 days, SSRIs/SNRIs were associated with a higher risk of emergency department utilization [30 d, OR: 1.30 (1.1-1.4); 90 d, OR: 1.3 (1.2-1.4)] and irrigation & debridement (I&D; 30 d, OR: 1.9 (1.2-3.0)]. SSRIs/SNRIs were also associated with a significantly higher risk of I&D within 2 years [OR: 1.3 (1.1-1.6)]. The use of serotonergic antidepressants perioperatively was associated with higher odds and risk of numerous outcomes, including hematoma formation, emergency department utilization, and the need for irrigation and debridement. Future prospective studies are required to confirm these results. Level III-retrospective cohort analysis.