Pertsch NJ, Darveau SC, Tang OY, et al. - In the present study, the researchers sought to examine risk factors associated with the timing of urinary tract infection (UTI) after elective spine surgery and to determine if postoperative UTI timing affects short-term outcomes. From 2012 to 2018, elective spine surgery patients were analyzed in the ACS National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). In total, 289,121 patients met inclusion criteria and 0.88% developed UTI (n = 2,553). Predictors of inpatient UTI involved procedure type, spine region, and approach, whereas predictors of post-discharge UTI involved length-of-stay and discharge destination. Based on the timing of UTI after elective spine surgery, predictive factors and findings vary. Procedure -specific details predict UTI before discharge, but they do not do so after discharge. Such results indicate that traditional thinking about the prevention of UTI can need change.