A large retrospective study reveals that opioid use disorder affects 3.4% of cervical fusion surgery patients, with these individuals experiencing significantly longer hospital stays and higher complication rates. This population-level data provides crucial insights for perioperative planning and highlights the need for specialized care protocols in spine surgery patients with substance use disorders.
12-Month Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Urine Toxicology-Identified Substance Users After Elective Spine Surgery: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study.
While prior studies have examined the role of opioids, alcohol, and marijuana use on early postoperative outcomes after elective spine surgery, longitudinal …
What a 2026 Spinopelvic Fusion Study Adds to the Conversation
Cannabis use before spine surgery is a question many patients and surgeons now face with very little procedure-specific guidance. This review examines a 2026 study of spinopelvic fusion patients and finds that preoperative cannabis use was not associated with significantly worse recovery or complication rates in that cohort. It also explains what the study does not show, where caution still belongs, and why individualized perioperative counseling remains the right standard.
Impact of cannabis use disorder on risk of surgical complications following anterior cervical …
✦ New CED Clinical Relevance #70Notable Clinical Interest Emerging findings or policy developments worth monitoring closely. ⚒ Cannabis News | CED Clinic SurgeryCannabis Use DisorderPerioperative CareSpine SurgeryRisk Assessment Why This MattersThis appears to be the first...