AB224. SOH25_AB_348a. Comparative clinical outcomes of robotic assisted lumbar fusion in elderly and obese patients: a retrospective cohort study
Orthopaedic Posters

AB224. SOH25_AB_348a. Comparative clinical outcomes of robotic assisted lumbar fusion in elderly and obese patients: a retrospective cohort study

Hania Ibrahim, Conor McNamee, Aubrie Sowa, Jake McDonnel, Salman Keraidi, Stacey Darwish, Joseph Butler

National Spinal Injuries Unit, Mater Misericordiae, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Background: Robot-assisted lumbar fusion (RA-LF) is increasingly used for correction of degenerative discs. Investigations suggest increased pedicle screw accuracy and hastened postoperative recovery versus conventional approaches. However, robust evidence validating this technology for elderly and obese patients is lacking. This study evaluates the clinical efficacy of RA-LF in elderly and obese patients by comparing perioperative/postoperative indices versus the general cohort.

Methods: A total of 165 patients underwent RA-LF between April 2019 and June 2023. Primary outcomes were length of stay (LoS), complications, and reoperation rates. Secondary outcomes included operating time and blood loss. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and frailty scores were extracted from electronic health records. Bayesian regression models compared outcomes across age and body mass index (BMI) strata while controlling for confounders.

Results: Elderly and high-BMI patients exhibited increased LoS, particularly after multilevel fusion [BMI ≥40 versus 20 kg/m2: 5.79 vs. 2.86 days, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65–5.50 days]. Higher BMI significantly correlated with prolonged operating time (BMI 40 versus 20 kg/m2: +37.6 min, 95% CI: 10.0–63.9 min), while age showed a non-significant trend toward increased blood loss. Complication rates did not significantly vary with age, BMI, or Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) but were higher for multilevel RA-LF [odds ratio (OR) 4.49, 95% CI: 0.56–11.8]. Reoperation rates were low across all subgroups.

Conclusions: RA-LF in elderly and obese patients is associated with longer LoS and increased operating time, especially in multilevel cases. Complication and reoperation rates were modest, suggesting RA-LF is feasible for high-risk groups. Further research is needed to compare RA-LF with conventional methods.

Keywords: Robot-assisted lumbar fusion (RA-LF); degenerative disc disease; perioperative and postoperative outcomes; Bayesian regression; elderly patients

Acknowledgments

None.

Footnote

Funding: None.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethical Statement: The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Open Access Statement: This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits the non-commercial replication and distribution of the article with the strict proviso that no changes or edits are made and the original work is properly cited (including links to both the formal publication through the relevant DOI and the license). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

doi: 10.21037/map-25-ab224
Cite this abstract as: Ibrahim H, McNamee C, Sowa A, McDonnel J, Keraidi S, Darwish S, Butler J. AB224. SOH25_AB_348a. Comparative clinical outcomes of robotic assisted lumbar fusion in elderly and obese patients: a retrospective cohort study. Mesentery Peritoneum 2025;9:AB224.

Article Options

Download Citation

Share