Positive smoking history leads to an increased risk of patients with non-traumatic back pain progressing to surgery. Surgical patients also have a higher postoperative complication rate. Higher body mass index leads to an increased risk of complication and postoperative pain.

Blood loss requiring the need for transfusion is a major potential in spine surgery. There is a need to decrease the risk of transfusion to transition to outpatient surgery. This study demonstrated that no patients required transfusion using several tips and techniques.

The concerns of haematoma formation in posterior lumbar interbody fusion may be heightened in outpatient surgery. Innovative techniques for surgery have decreased the need for drains in outpatient single level posterior lumbar interbody fusion.

The use of a pre-drilled pilot hole prior to anterior cervical plate placement decreases the size of the plate used. There is improved accuracy while placing the plate and it reduces adjacent segment encroachment.