Becker's Spine Review

17 SPINE SURGEONS fore. We have patients who have been sitting at home with out-of-control carpal tunnel syndrome whose nerves are damaged and really need decompressions. ey're essentially saying that they can't wait anymore. Many of these problems that have been put off for six to nine months, not only are they not going away, they're progressive problems. I think also the vaccine being on the horizon is part of patients' mindsets. People are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel for COVID-19 and are thinking, "Hey, I've got to be able to walk to get out of the tunnel." People are emotionally and logistical- ly starting to make plans to move on with their lives, anticipating that vaccines will be deployed in the next weeks to months. Q: How do you expect the winter months to play out in Arizona as COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country? DL: We're really skilled at dealing with heavy duty winter epidemics in Phoenix. Arizona, is a retirement state. Our hospitals every year get an influx of about a million visitors from cold weather states in the U.S., as well as Canada. It's normal for us to deal with an influx of patients with upper respiratory disease in the winter, and our hospitals are extremely well-equipped and able to handle it. Like many states, Arizona kind of jumped the gun in the spring and shut everything down, not knowing what to expect. e real harm that came to the community from that soon became apparent: the in- creases in untreated in heart attacks, reductions in cancer screening and reductions in child immunizations. I don't think the government is going to make the same mistake again and shut everything down in an attempt to prepare the extra beds for COVID-19. I think we're just going to have to deal with what comes our way, like we always have. n Dr. Ali Baaj to build U of Arizona-Banner spine program from scratch in new role By Angie Stewart S pine surgeon Ali Baaj, MD, became the inaugural chief of spine surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix and Banner-Univer- sity Medical Center Phoenix on Oct. 1. As spine surgery chief, Dr. Baaj will build a new academic spine program at UArizo- na-Banner. "I will work closely with the talented group of surgeons already providing quality spine care at Banner to enhance and ex- pand our services," Dr. Baaj said. "The im- pact that this program, as part of the lead- ing university and healthcare organization in Arizona, can have on the community and the region is immeasurable." While continuing to treat complex spinal conditions with an emphasis on spinal deformity and oncology, Dr. Baaj will be tasked with aligning providers, resources and infrastructure to ensure exceptional spine care. Additionally, he serves as an associate professor in the departments of neurosur- gery and orthopedic surgery. Dr. Baaj will also be working with Banner to provide educational seminars on topics such as back pain, neck pain and spine surgery. Once he settles into his new responsibil- ities, Dr. Baaj plans to initiate a prospec- tive clinical outcomes registry to study pa- tient-reported outcomes after surgery and to conduct national training initiatives. Previously, Dr. Baaj served as an associ- ate professor of neurological surgery and co-director of the Spinal Deformity and Scoliosis Program at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. The editor of four textbooks on spinal surgery, he has published more than 100 abstracts and manuscripts and authored numerous book chapters. n Novel spinal fusion technique more successful than traditional approach, study finds By Alan Condon S ingle-position anterior–posterior lumbar fusion surgery has signifi- cant advantages over the traditional approach to spinal fusion, New York City-based NYU Langone Health researchers found. SPLS has led to reduced blood loss, less postoperative intestinal blockage and shorter operating room times, according to a study published in The Spine Journal Nov. 12. The novel approach positions patients on their side for the duration of the procedure, as opposed to repositioning them from their back or side to their stomach during surgery. SPLS enables surgeons to approach the spine through both the front and back, which reduces OR time and leads to a higher fusion rate, according to researchers. The study evaluated 397 procedures — 244 were performed using SPLS — between May 2012 and June 2019. Researchers found that SPLS decreased OR time by more than three hours, from an average time of 306 minutes to 103 minutes. Another study is being planned to evaluate SLPS against minimally inva- sive posterior fusion. n

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