Three-year experience in the Emergency Department: the approach to patients with spinal trauma and their prognosis

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injuries result in critical pecuniary and/or non-pecuniary losses due to the developing neurological problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate spinal injuries in terms of clinical severity and prognosis. Spinal injuries lead to serious clinical results due to the high rates of morbidity and mortality; however, there is a lack of reliable information on spinal injuries in our country. METHODS: Following the approval of the Faculty Ethics Committee, this retrospective study was conducted on 91 patients aged >= 18 (59 male, 32 female) with spinal trauma who were admitted to the Emergency Department of Ondokuz Mayis University over three years. The patients were assessed in terms of demographics, clinical severity, developing complications, and mortality. RESULTS: Forty-three patients had complete injuries, while 48 had incomplete injuries. Forty-six patients suffered spinal injuries due to fall from height, 35 patients due to traffic accidents, and 10 patients due to other reasons. Several complications were observed in 52 patients, while no complication occurred in 39 patients. We determined that 19 of 92 patients involved in this study died, while 72 were discharged from the hospital. CONCLUSION: Spinal cord injuries generally result in unfavorable clinical results. Therefore, an appropriate approach (early diagnosis and true treatment) in emergency services has great significance.