Rise of Spinal Surgeries in the Elderly Cause Concerns over Medtronic Complications

Portland, ORA new study suggests that the number of spinal fusion surgeries being performed on elderly patients is increasing exponentially, a fact that provokes concerns about Medtronic bone graft complications.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">Researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland studied men and women ages 65 and up with lumbar stenosis, a common back problem related to the vertebrae. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study found that spinal fusion accounted for 14.6 percent of all back surgeries for Medicare patients in 2007, a substantial increase from the 1 percent performed in 2002.

Researchers claim that spinal fusion patients also had a doubled rate of life-threatening complications, as the average fusion surgery and in-patient stay resulted in hospital charges of $80,888 compared to a simpler spinal procedure that cost around $23,700.

In 2008 the FDA issued a warning on Medtronic Infuse Bone Grafts which claimed that the product is potentially unsafe for the treatment of cervical spine problems, citing as many as 38 reports of complications in four years. Those complications included difficulty swallowing, breathing and speaking due to a compressed airway.