Abstract: Objective  To investigate the correlation between preoperative hypoalbuminemia and prevalence of adverse events after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF).    Methods     Patients diagnosed with lumbar degeneration disease (LDD) who underwent PLIF in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2019 were selected and categorized based on preoperative serum albumin concentration: a low albumin group (n=91, ALB<35g/L); a normal albumin group (n=1281, ALB≧35g/L). The adverse events within 3 months after operation were recorded and compared, including: transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) for monitoring transition, postoperative specific complications, readmission, incision infection, and poor healing. Multivariable logistic regression analysis model adjusting confounders was used to assess the relationship between preoperative serum albumin levels and adverse postoperative outcomes, and the relationships between preoperative hypoalbuminemia and rates of adverse postoperative outcomes.    Results    A total of 1372 patients, including 597 males and 775 females, with the average age (58.11±12.56) years old data study showed that preoperative albumin levels were closely related to the occurrence of adverse postoperative outcomes (OR=0.94; 95%CI: 0.90~0.98; P<0.05). Compared with patients in the preoperative normal albumin group, the risk of adverse postoperative outcomes in the preoperative low albumin group was 2.15 times that of the normal albumin group (OR=2.15; 95% CI: 1.21~3.79; P<0.05).   Conclusions    Patients with preoperative hypoalbuminemia will significantly increase the incidence of adverse outcomes after PLIF. The preoperative serum albumin level can be used as an important reference index for predicting adverse outcomes after PLIF.

Key words:  Lumbar degenerative disease; ,  , Hypoalbuminemia; ,  Posterior lumbar fusion; ,  Adverse outcome