A clinico - epidemiological study of traumatic spine injuries in a rural tertiary care centre in India: Our experience

Abstract

Introduction: Traumatic spinal cord injuries are on the rise. Spine injuries are one of the common causes of major morbidity and mortality. These are frequently related to high energy trauma like falls, road traffic accidents (RTAs) and assaults. Objectives: To analyse the clinico - epidemiological pattern of traumatic spinal cord injuries,common injury modes, presentations, age and gender distribution, level of injuries, pre-hospitalisation practices, severity of neurological deficits and treatment options. Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 43 patients with traumatic spinalinjuries from Jan 2012 to June 2013. Data on epidemiology, mode of injury and presentation, level of spinal injury, severity of neurological deficits and the patient's knowledge about such injuries were analysed. Results: The most common mode of injury was fall from height followed by RTAs. Maximum injuries were to the cervical spine (55.8%), followed by thoracic (25.5%) lumbar (16.2%) and thoraco - lumbar injuries (2.3%).The average patient age was 40.2 years with a male to female ratio of 42 : 1. None of the patients received any prehospital treatment. Among thesewere 21 paraplegics (48.8%), 9 quadriplegics (20.9 %), 4 withquadriparesis (9.3%) and 9 with paraparesis. All patients were stabilised surgically. Mortality accounted to 23.25%. Conclusion: There is anemergent need to create awareness among the rural population regarding traumatic spinal injuries, preventive safety measures in the work field and safe driving practices to reduce the incidence and prevalence of these injuries. Pre hospital first aid, transportation and medical facilities should be improved and made accessible and affordable to the susceptible weaker population.