Are Octogenarians at Higher Risk of Complications After Elective Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery? Analysis of a Cohort of 7880 Patients From the Kaiser Permanente Spine Registry.

In a cohort of 7880 elective posterior instrumented lumbar fusion patients for degenerative disk disease or spondylolisthesis, we did not observe any significant risks of adverse events between patients aged 80 years and above and those aged 50 to 79 except for higher durotomies and 30-day pneumonia in the former. We believe octogenarians can safely undergo lumbar fusions, but proper preoperative screening is necessary to reduce the risks of 30-day pneumonia.