acute spinal injury

acute spinal injury

Any trauma to the spinal cord or cauda equina that may result in long-term neurologic deficit, which can be loosely divided into primary injury (which occurs at the time of initial injury and may include intervertebral disk herniation, vertebral fracture or luxation, penetrating injury and vascular anomalies) and secondary injury (which is multifactorial and encompasses the biochemical and vascular events that result in progression of injury).

Initial management
Airway maintenance, CPR, spinal immobilisation, drugs (metaraminol for hypotension, methylprednisolone to minimise motor loss), ancillary (adjunctive) therapy (e.g., indwelling urinary catheter, NG tube except where contraindicated as in facial injuries), gastroduodenal ulcer prophylaxis with H2-blockers, PTE prophylaxis with low-dose heparin, pneumatic compression boots.

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

acute spinal injury

Neurosurgery Any trauma to the spinal cord or cauda equina that may result in long-term neurologic deficit Initial management Airway maintenance, CPR, spinal immobilization, drugs-metaraminol for hypotension, methylprednisolone to minimize motor loss, ancillary–adjunctive therapy–eg indwelling urinary catheter, NG tube-except where contraindicated as in facial injuries, gastroduodenal ulcer prophylaxis with H₂-blockers, PTE prophylaxis with low-dose heparin, pneumatic compression boots

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.