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3.13.4 - Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries

from Section 3.13 - Severe Trauma and Multiple Injuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

By
Manpreet Bahra  and
Sachin Mehta
Edited by
Ned Gilbert-Kawai ,
Debashish Dutta  and
Carl Waldmann
Ned Gilbert-Kawai
Affiliation:
The Royal Liverpool Hospital
Debashish Dutta
Affiliation:
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow
Carl Waldmann
Affiliation:
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
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Summary

Key Learning Points

  1. 1. Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is a devastating event which can lead to transient or permanent nerve damage, with a peak incidence in young adult males.

  2. 2. The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale is a helpful tool for diagnosing and classifying the severity of cord injury.

  3. 3. Initial management should follow established advanced trauma and life support (ATLS) guidance using a systematic approach.

  4. 4. Early priorities include prevention of secondary spinal injury and timely identification of an unstable fracture.

  5. 5. TSCI can cause organ dysfunction, depending on the level of injury, and may require support to optimise physiological parameters.

Keywords

traumaspinal cord injury
Type
Chapter
Information
Intensive Care Medicine
The Essential Guide
 , pp. 406 - 407
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

References and Further Reading

ATLS Subcommittee; American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma; International ATLS working group. Advanced trauma life support (ATLS®): the ninth edition. J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2013;74:1363–6.Google Scholar
Bonner, S, Smith, C. Initial management of acute spinal cord injury. Contin Educ Anaesth Crit Care Pain 2013;13:224–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denton, M, McKinlay, J. Cervical cord injury and critical care. Contin Educ Anaesth Crit Care Pain 2009;9:82–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization. International perspectives on spinal cord injury. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013.Google Scholar

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