SIRIS Spine – internal and external review of the recorded surgical figures

An internal and external review of the recorded surgical figures is currently only possible and meaningful on the basis of CHOP codes¹.

¹ Coding is carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines issued by the Federal Statistical Office. For guidance on CHOP code 7A.6, see, for example, the 2024 Circular for Coders No. 1 - To be applied to cases with a discharge date on or after 1 January 2024 | Publication | Federal Statistical Office (admin.ch) (https://www.bfs.admin.ch/asset/de/29665590).

Table 1: Combinations of CHOP codes relevant to the SIRIS Spine Register.










 

Primary operations
Using the CHOP codes 7A.43*, 7A.44*, 7A.6*, 7A.7* and 7A.8* in combination with CHOP code 7A.B1.31 or 03.04.4* for the lumbar spine, all primary operations subject to registration, as well as most revisions and reoperations, can be identified and cross-referenced with registered operations (Table 1).

Reoperations and revisions
The challenge in verification lies with a small proportion of revisions performed on the same and/or adjacent segments, which are coded as primary operations (for example, as decompression) and therefore cannot be identified using the CHOP codes mentioned above. Their coding may vary. There is currently no CHOP code that codes implants in situ and indicates a link between the previous and subsequent operations on neighbouring segments. For this reason, these types of revision cannot, for the time being, be readily verified using the CHOP codes.

However, amongst patients with the CHOP codes mentioned above, it is possible to identify those who have undergone a subsequent operation (for example, by using a duplicate patient ID in an Excel spreadsheet). These subsequent operations can then be checked individually to determine whether they were performed on the same or an adjacent segment and thus fall within the register’s inclusion criteria.
 

We would appreciate your assistance with this detailed review of the case figures to ensure a high capture rate at your hospital or clinic, as well as in the register as a whole. The SIRIS Foundation has applied to the Federal Statistical Office for new, more specific CHOP codes to close this validation gap.

For further information, please contact us as follows: 
For the registry and EUROSPINE: siris-spine@eurospine.org
For the ANQ: Oliver Pahud, oliver.pahud@anq.ch
For the SIRIS Foundation: Jasmin Vonlanthen, jasmin.vonlanthen@siris-implant.ch