Shlobin NA, Cloney MB, Hopkins BS, et al. - Via this retrospective case series of 628 patients undergoing posterior long segment spinal fusion (PLSF), researchers investigated the factors linked with the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) after PLSF. Steroid use and using cefazolin or bacitracin irrigation, but not gentamicin or other irrigation, were linked with SSI occurrence. Likelihood for Gram-positive infections was higher with staged procedures and bacitracin irrigation, and lower with vancomycin powder. Likelihood for Gram-negative infections was higher with a history of peripheral arterial disease or cefazolin irrigation. Staged procedures, cervical spine surgery, or cefazolin irrigation were linked with more frequent readmission. More frequent requirement for reoperation was observed in correlation with more comorbidities, staged procedures, cervical surgeries, more participants in the surgery, using cefazolin or bacitracin irrigation, and higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate at readmission. Patients with more comorbidities, or who used steroids, had more frequent washouts, and these were less frequent after cervical surgery. They more commonly observed instrumentation removal with bacitracin irrigation.