Prehospital clinical findings associated with spinal injury

Objective. The objective of this study was to identify clinical findings that are associated with spinal fracture and/or spinal cord injuries in prehospital trauma patients.

Methods. A retrospective chart review was performed at three tertiary referral centers in Southeastern Michigan. All charts of patients with spinal fractures or spinal cord injuries during 1992 and 1993 were reviewed. Patients with available pre-hospital records were included in the study analysis. Prehospital data points included documentation of head injury; altered mental status; neurologic deficit; evidence of intoxication; cervical, thoracic, and lumbar pain or tenderness; nonspecified back pain or tenderness; and a narrative for all other documented injuries. Hospital data collected included type and level of spinal injury and age and sex of the patient.

Results. Of 867 injury patients identified, 536 were excluded, leaving 346 analyzable fractures in 331 patients. The 346 spinal fractures/spinal cord injuries were distributed as: 100 (29%) cervical, 83 (24%) thoracic, 128 (37%) lumbar, and 35 (10%) sacral. Prehospital documentation of altered mental status, neurologic deficit, evidence of intoxication, spinal pain, or suspected extremity fracture was found for every patient with a cervical injury, 82/83 patients with thoracic injuries (99%), and 124/128 patients with lumbar injuries (97%). All five patients who were not documented as having one of the predictors had stable injuries.

Conclusion. Prehospital clinical findings of altered mental status, neurologic deficit, evidence of intoxication, spinal pain, and suspected extremity fracture were documented for all patients with significant spinal injuries in this series. These findings may be useful to identify patients who require prehospital spinal immobilization.