When Your Pre-Op Med List Predicts More Than Your Fusion Screws

If you thought optimizing bone density and smoking cessation were the main pre-op hurdles before a cervical fusion — surprise! Your patient’s SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) may be quietly plotting against your postoperative metrics.

In this nationwide, meticulously propensity-matched TriNetX deep dive (because what’s more festive than 8000+ patients in a sandbox of ICD codes?), one research team asked a deceptively simple question: Does pre-op antidepressant use affect outcomes after cervical fusion?