{"id":"902d419b-4501-4c75-bddc-a5de60dd0460","slug":"complications-due-to-the-use-of-bmpinfuse-in-spine-surgery-the-evidence-continues-to-mount","title":"Complications due to the use of BMP/INFUSE in spine surgery: The evidence continues to mount","authors":["Nancy E. Epstein"],"abstract":"Increasingly, adverse events (AE) attributed to utilizing BMP/INFUSE (Bone Morphogenetic Protein, Medtronic, Memphis, TN, USA) “off-label” in spine surgery are being reported. In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning that in anterior cervical spine surgery, the “off-label” use of BMP/INFUSE contributed to marked dysphagia, hematoma, seroma, swelling, and/or the need for intubation/tracheostomy. Subsequent studies have cited the following AE; heterotopic ossification (HO), osteolysis, infection, arachnoiditis, increased neurological deficits, retrograde ejaculation, and cancer. Furthermore, in 2011, Carragee et al. noted that 13 of the original industry-sponsored BMP/INFUSE spinal surgery studies failed to acknowledge multiple AE. Additionally, in 2012, Comer et al. observed that the frequency of retrograde ejaculation reported for BMP/INFUSE used “on-label” to perform Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion/Lumbar Tapered Fusion-Cage Device (ALIF/LT-Cage) was also largely “under-reported.” To summarize, there is mounting evidence in the spinal literature that utilizing BMP/INFUSE in spinal fusions contributes to major perioperative and postoperative morbidity.","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/902d419b-4501-4c75-bddc-a5de60dd0460/featured/hero-1782421042655.png","publishDate":"2013-07-09T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.4103/2152-7806.114813","categories":["Original Article"],"fullTextUrl":"http://sni.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/3893/SNI-4-343.pdf"}