Relation of preoperative pre-albumin and transferrin to 30-day risk of complication in elective spine surgical patients

Back pain is a leading cause of medical visits in the U.S., and the growing number of older adults undergoing elective spine surgery raises concerns about postoperative complications. Protein malnutrition is a known risk factor, but its role in spine surgery outcomes is unclear. This retrospective cohort study of 211 patients aged ≥50 years examined whether preoperative nutritional biomarkers (pre-albumin and transferrin) predict complications within 30 days post-surgery. After adjustment for confounders, neither biomarker was an independent risk factor, suggesting limited utility for these measures in predicting short-term surgical outcomes.