Impact of GLP-1 Dose Intensity on Perioperative and Long-Term Fusion Outcomes Following ACDF
- Design
- Retrospective cohort · 112065 participants · Unknown outcome
- Match to healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75
- Different population[Auto] Participants had obesity/overweight (age/BMI not reported in abstract).
- Could weight loss explain it?
- Possibly[Auto] Participants had obesity and/or type 2 diabetes and the abstract does not separate direct drug effects from weight loss or glycaemic improvement.
- Study tier
- Study tier 3[Auto] Observational design; confounding by indication and healthy-user effects cannot be excluded (auto-provisional).
- Assessment
- Version 1 · automatic, not yet reviewed by a person · Sep 13, 2026
Study facts come from the paper. Population match, weight-loss explanation and study tier are our judgments, made against the reference group of healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75.
[Auto, unreviewed; quoted from abstract conclusions] High-dose GLP-1 RA therapy was not associated with increased short-term healthcare utilization, postoperative complications, opioid exposure, or long-term fusion-related risk after ACDF compared with standard-dose therapy. These findings provide reassurance that higher-dose GLP-1 regimens do not appear to confer excess perioperative or fusion-related risk in this population.
01Findings
What the study reported
- Drugs
- Class unspecified
- Comparator
- standard-dose GLP-1 RA therapy
- Primary outcome
- Not extracted
- Effect
- Not extracted
- 95% confidence interval
- Not extracted
- Follow-up
- Not stated
- Adverse events
- Not extracted
- Limitations
- Auto-classified from abstract only; effect estimates, adverse events and limitations not extracted. Requires manual review.
Who was studied
- Obesity status
- obesity/overweight present (all or most)
- Sample size
- 112065
Study quality details
- Study design
- Retrospective cohort
- Sample size
- 112065
- Randomization
- no
- Blinding
- not stated
- Comparator
- not stated
- Follow up duration
- not stated
- Outcome type
- unknown
- Replication
- not assessed (auto)
- Consistency with other evidence
- not assessed (auto)
- Population applicability
- INDIRECT
- Statistical precision
- not extracted
- Risk of bias
- not assessed (auto)
- Funding conflicts
- unclear
- Peer review status
- yes
02Funding
Funding and conflicts
- Funding
- not reported in abstract
- Industry funded
- Unclear
- Manufacturer
- None identified
- Sponsor role
- not reported in abstract
- Author conflicts
- Statements and Declarations This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to this work. The study used de-identified data from the TriNetX Research Network and was exempt from institutional review board approval at the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. All authors contributed to the study conception, design, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation, and approved the final version for submission.
- Independent replication
- unknown
Funding is shown on every study and never used to score it.
04Source
The source, as retrieved
Abstract
[BACKGROUND CONTEXT] High-dose glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are increasingly used for obesity management, but their perioperative safety and potential effects on fusion-related outcomes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) remain unclear. [PURPOSE] To compare short-term postoperative outcomes and longer-term fusion-related outcomes after ACDF among patients receiving high-dose versus standard-dose GLP-1 RA therapy. [STUDY DESIGN/SETTING] Retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX Research Network. [PATIENT SAMPLE] Adult patients undergoing ACDF were identified within TriNetX and stratified into 3 pairwise comparison groups: standard-dose GLP-1 RA versus no GLP-1 exposure, high-dose GLP-1 RA versus no GLP-1 exposure, and high-dose versus standard-dose GLP-1 RA use. A total of 112,065 patients met inclusion criteria across all 3 comparisons. In the primary dose-intensity comparison, 921 patients remained in each cohort after 1:1 propensity score matching. [OUTCOME MEASURES] Outcomes included 90-day healthcare utilization (readmission, emergency department visits, outpatient visits, physical therapy utilization), 90-day medical and acute postoperative complications, 90-day opioid exposure, and long-term fusion-related outcomes from 180 to 720 days, including pseudarthrosis and posterior cervical fusion. [METHODS] Data were queried on March 9, 2026. Adults undergoing ACDF were identified and stratified by preoperative GLP-1 RA dose intensity. Exposure was defined by recorded GLP-1 RA prescription strength from 1 year to 1 week before the index ACDF procedure. Separate 1:1 propensity score matching was performed for each pairwise comparison. Outcomes were evaluated at 1 to 90 days for healthcare utilization, short-term complications, and opioid exposure, and at 180 to 720 days for long-term fusion-related outcomes. [FUNDING/CONFLICTS OF INTEREST] No funding was received for this study. The authors report no study-specific conflicts of interest or associated biases. [RESULTS] In the primary high-dose versus standard-dose comparison, 90-day healthcare utilization was similar, including readmission (11.4% vs 10.0%; p = 0.327), emergency department visits (11.4% vs 12.3%; p = 0.564), outpatient visits (49.8% vs 52.1%; p = 0.328), and physical therapy utilization (42.0% vs 44.0%; p = 0.397). Short-term complications were also similar, including composite medical complications (9.6% vs 8.9%; p = 0.629), dysphagia (10.6% vs 11.2%; p = 0.709), hematoma (6.8% vs 6.3%; p = 0.638), dysphonia (1.8% vs 1.6%; p = 0.721), and acute respiratory failure (2.3% vs 1.7%; p = 0.406). Opioid exposure did not differ between cohorts (85.2% vs 83.1%; p = 0.202). Long-term outcomes were likewise similar, including pseudarthrosis (4.0% vs 3.8%; p = 0.822) and posterior cervical fusion (3.0% vs 3.7%; p = 0.398). Compared with matched non-users, both standard-dose and high-dose GLP-1 RA users had lower pseudarthrosis rates, although no additional long-term benefit was observed with higher-dose therapy. [CONCLUSIONS] High-dose GLP-1 RA therapy was not associated with increased short-term healthcare utilization, postoperative complications, opioid exposure, or long-term fusion-related risk after ACDF compared with standard-dose therapy. These findings provide reassurance that higher-dose GLP-1 regimens do not appear to confer excess perioperative or fusion-related risk in this population.