SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Use of bone morphogenic proteins in anterior and posterior lumbar fusion procedures was significantly associated with shorter hospital stays, lower infection rates and greater in-hospital costs compared to surgeries done without these agents, according to research presented here.
“[Bone morphogenic protein] BMP use in lumbar fusions is common, occurring in more than 50% of anterior lumbar fusions [ALFs] and about a third of posterior lumbar fusions [PLFs],” Steven Fineberg, MD, said during his presentation at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine Meeting. “Patients in the BMP cohort incurred greater hospital costs and had shorter hospitalizations, which we believe is due to the direct cost of BMP itself. Patients receiving BMP had a lower infection rate than the control group. A possible explanation is that this includes a younger and healthier patient population.”
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