Preoperative Anxiety: An Important Risk Factor of Postoperative Adverse Events and Increased Reoperation Rates in Patients Undergoing Single-Level Anterior Cervical Diskectomy and Fusion

Introduction: With the rising prevalence of mental health disorders, it is important to consider their correlation with surgical outcomes. Anxiety has been associated with adverse events after many surgical procedures, but its relationship relative to anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF) regarding medical complications has not previously been assessed in a large database study. Methods: The 2010-Q3 2022 PearlDiver Mariner161 database was used to identify patients undergoing single-level ACDF. Those with versus without preoperative anxiety were matched 1:1 based on age, sex, and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index. Rates of 90-day adverse events were compared by multivariate regression analyses, and 5-year cervical revision surgery rates were compared. Results: Of 287,278 ACDF patients, preoperative anxiety was identified for 36.73%. After matching, patients with anxiety had greater odds ratios of all assessed individual 90-day adverse outcomes, as well as any (OR: 3.09), severe (OR: 2.07), and minor (OR: 3.39) adverse events (P < 0.0001 for all). Those with preoperative anxiety had slightly greater 5-year rates of subsequent cervical spine surgery than those without (P < 0.0001, at 5 years 12.9% versus 11.7%). Discussion: ACDF patients with a history of anxiety had higher odds of many 90-day adverse outcomes and slightly higher 5-year revision surgery rates. These findings may inform patient counseling and risk management strategies.