Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery Department of Neurosurgery, Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, United States
Disclosure(s):
Christian Quinones, MD: No financial relationships to disclose
Introduction: Traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (TSCI) imparts significant morbidity and mortality. The presence of cervical spine fractures (CSFx) in conjunction with TSCI has been shown to significantly increase mortality, particularly in the elderly. However, the impact of surgical intervention on mortality for TSCI patients with and without CSFx for patients undergoing surgical intervention has yet to be described.
Methods: The National Trauma Bank for the years 2019-2021 was analyzed. Patients with International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 and ICD-9 codes for cervical spinal cord injury with and without cervical spine fractures were identified. Further categorization based on surgical intervention was determined by Current Procedural Terminology codes.
Results: A total of 14,008 patients with TSCI were identified. Of the SCI patients, there were 5,123 with and 8,885 without concomitant CSFx, respectively. Among surgical patients with TSCI and CSFx, 4.8% (30/624) expired following surgery compared to 3.8% (27/719) of those without CSFx. The OR for mortality in patients with fractures was 1.29 (95% CI: 0.76-2.20, p=0.341).
Conclusion : While the findings suggest a higher mortality in patients with cervical spine fractures after surgery, the difference was not statistically significant. Further research with larger patient populations is warranted to elucidate the factors affecting the risk of postsurgical mortality in TSCI patients with and without CSFx.
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