Becker's Spine Review

11 SPINE SURGEONS 5 spine studies drawing attention from surgeons By Alan Condon F rom research into how poor bone quality could lead to complications aer spinal fusion to positive results of a single-position spine surgery clinical trial, here are five recent studies catching the eyes of spine surgeons: 1. A NuVasive study in e Spine Journal found that single-position spine surgery has significant advantages over open fusion, in- cluding fewer complications, less blood loss and reduced length of stay. 2. Surgical plans for spine patients rarely change aer an in-person evaluation, accord- ing to a study published in e Spine Journal. Results indicate that virtual visits offer an efficient preoperative assessment of patients and may support innovations to optimize ac- cess to care. 3. Most spine patients prefer in-person vis- its to virtual appointments, according to re- searchers at Penn State Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center. A study of 176 patients found only 15 percent preferred the telehealth appointment to an in-person visit. 4. Authors of a study published in Bone called for more research into ways to im- prove bone quality and lower the risk of complications aer spinal fusion. Research- ers explored bone quality using peripheral quantitative computed tomography, rath- er than the traditional dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. e study found that ab- normalities of the trabecular and cortical microarchitecture were linked to the devel- opment of complications within the first six months aer spine surgery. 5. Training surgeons using a virtual reality platform led to an almost 50 percent decrease in surgical errors, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. VR training reduced the learning curve by up to 50 cases and is at least 34-times less expen- sive than traditional training methods, the study found. n Estate of Keck Hospital spine surgeon alleges wrongful termination By Carly Behm T he estate of a spine surgeon who worked at Los Angeles-based Keck Hospital of the University of Southern California alleges he was wrong- fully fired a year before his death, according to a Jan. 4 report from mynewsla.com. Frank Acosta, MD, died Nov. 21, 2020, according to the report. The lawsuit al- leges wrongful termination, retaliation, disability discrimination and failure to accomodate and engage in the interactive process. A USC spokesperson told mynewsla.com that Dr. Acosta was named in a 2016 medical malpractice suit after a patient died in postoperative care from a sur- gery he performed. The suit said Dr. Acosta wasn't involved in that patient's postoperative care and was dismissed as a defendant in 2018. However, he was deposed three months before he was dismissed. When Dr. Acosta said he wanted to provide more facts regarding the deposition, USC allegedly began to retaliate, accord- ing to the lawsuit. Dr. Acosta was also named in an alleged domestic violence incident when someone hit him. The estate's lawsuit alleges Dr. Acosta was fired over the deposition testimony in the malpractice suit, the report said. The suit also alleges that his firing was motivated by his involvement in the domestic dispute. The suit seeks unspec- ified damages. n NASS highlights advocacy efforts of Dr. Brian Gantwerker By Alan Condon T he National Association of Spine Specialists, the advocacy arm of the North American Spine Society, paid tribute to Brian Gantwerker, MD, for his work elevating the voices of spine providers and challenging legislative hurdles within the field. "My passion remains to be able for folks to keep their private insurance and to have the commercial payers play by their own rules," Dr. Gantwerker, said. "It is my dream to hold them accountable — connect authorization to payment, to stop sending fraudulent or delay-directed letters to buy them time and to legislate rules to make them pay on time and correctly. "I believe healthcare should be accessible to everyone, but a single-payer sys- tem will cause intolerable and perhaps tragic delays in care." Dr. Gantwerker is a board member of NASS' political engagement committee and a member of the advocacy committee. He established The Craniospinal Center of Los Angeles 10 years ago, shortly after completing a complex spine fellowship at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix. n

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