Emergency Department Management of Cervical Spine Injuries

Points & Pearls Excerpt

• In the United States, some 60% of patients with cervical spine injury have complete or incomplete tetraplegia.^3,4
• Unstable fractures are those in which bone deformity is likely to increase and may lead to development or worsening of spinal cord compromise.⁶
• Spinal injuries involving the anterior column tend to be stable; injuries tend to be unstable if multiple columns or the posterior column are injured or disrupted.
• Spinal cord injury (SCI) may occur without spinal fracture; the most clinically important is acute traumatic central cord syndrome, which is typically associated with elderly patients with pre-existing spinal stenosis.