Surgical Site Infection, Microbiology, and Antibiotic Utilization After Posterior Cervical Spinal Decompression and Fusion: A 10-Year Experience

Study DesignRetrospective cohort analysis.ObjectivesSurgical site infection (SSI) is a major complication following spine surgery. This is especially true with posterior cervical spinal surgery, contributing to increased hospital stay, socioeconomic burden, morbidity, and mortality. This study aimed to investigate risk factors for cervical SSI, identify organisms responsible, and characterize antibiotic treatment regimens to inform surgeons.MethodsA retrospective review of patients who underwent posterior cervical decompression and fusion (PCDF) was performed at a single academic quaternary care center. Outcome variables included SSI, culture speciation, and antibiotic regimens. Associations between demographic, clinical, and surgical factors with SSI were analyzed using univariate statistics and multiple logistic regression. A sub-analysis was conducted for gram-negative and gram-positive pathogens. P