Introduction:
Spinal injuries are common and are associated with both complications directly related to the spinal injury itself, or indirectly related medical complications. These complications are a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality, and lead to an increased rate of hospitalization, increased care cost, loss of employability, and decreased quality of life.
Objective
The aim of this study is to recognize the incidence of various complications and whether these complications varied based on the management course and certain predisposing factors.
Method:
We conducted a retrospective study on 129 patients that were admitted, in a state tertiary center, over a 6-month period. The outcomes investigated were medical complications, length of stay, physical function on day 3 and discharge destination. Logistic regression models were used to report outcomes.
Results
The mean age of the study sample was 48.6 (+/-23.4) years with 61.24% being male. The majority of patients (92.25%) had normal neurological function (ASIA E). Immobilization techniques are used in 60 patients and 26 patients (20.16%) were treated surgically. Surgical interventions were associated with prolonged length of stay (p < 0.0001) and increased medical complications (p=0.0003) when compared to conservative and immobilization managements. Furthermore, those who had a surgical approach were more likely to be discharged to care facilities. (OR 9.01, 95% CI 1.97-41.3).
Conclusion
Patients with spinal trauma experience prolonged hospital stay, more complications and have more care requirements after surgical approach.