Spinal injury
Author: MUDr. Olga Smékalová, MUDr. Jan Hudec, Tomáš Stuchlík, David Hruška
Institution: Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University in Brno
Medical discipline: Emergency Medicine
Keywords: spinal cord | injury | polytrauma
Educational evel: Undergraduate level | Graduate
Spinal trauma is an injury of the spine and spinal cord. If the patient suffers from polytrauma e.g., the symptoms of life-threatening injuries may mask the symptoms of spinal injury and spinal cord injury can develop by careless manipulation with the patient. If there is a history of sudden acceleration or deceleration (traffic accidents, falls, sports injuries), there is always the possibility of spinal injury. Our algorithm takes you through spinal trauma from first aid to late complications.
Review
This algorithm closely and complex informs the investigators of the issue of spinal trauma in an interactive way. It describes the entire therapeutic from arrival of EMS crew, ensuring the patient to his transport to a specialized center. It also emphasizes a time factor of transport, which is a highly important for the further prognosis. The algorithm introduces the investigators to the diagnostic procedure and the work of consultants. It briefly describes the induction of anaesthesia and necessary procedures for securing the airway, generally summarizes the postoperative status and possible complications of a patient with spinal cord lesions and the following rehabilitation process. After reading this algorithm, the reader is familiar with basic facts and procedures in patients with spinal cord lesions and is capable of providing of first aid.
publikováno: 9. 4. 2015 | last modified on: 13. 9. 2019