Abstract
Objectives: To analyze the epidemiological profile of patients undergoing surgery at a referral hospital in a small, country town. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out between February 2009 and May 2010, in a Regional Referral unit, with a total of 24 patients. The cases study included all patients undergoing surgery for spinal trauma during this period, with or without neurological deficits. The data analyzed were: sex, age, location and degree of the injury, and mechanism of the injury. Results: The medianage of the patients was 35.8 years, and 75% were male. The mechanisms of the injury were motorcycle accidents in 37.5%, falls in 33.3%, automobile accidents in 25%, and diving into shallow water in 4.2%. The vertebral level affected was the cervical spine in 44%, the thoracic spine in 36%, and the thoracolumbar level in 20%. The neurological damage, classified according ASIA (American Spinal Injury Association) was complete, or category A in 37.5%, incomplete, or category B in 4.2%, incomplete, or category C in 12.5%, incomplete, or category D in 8.3%, and incomplete, or category E in 37.5%. In terms of access route, 64% of the procedures were performed with posterior access and 36% with anterior access. Conclusion: The epidemiological profile maintains the trend towards a prevalence of injuries among young men, affecting the cervical level, with the presence of spinal cord lesion. However, accidents involving motorcycles and fallings from heights are factors that can be modified by safety measures on the roads and in the workplace, which can reverse the high prevalence of these accidents.
Highlights
Spinomedullary injury is defined as damage to the spinal cord resulting in changes in the motor, sensory, or autonomic functions that may be temporary or permanent.[1]
Information from smaller centers shows a higher percentage of traffic accidents as the causal agent, surpassing violence.[11]
Analyzing the causes related to traffic accidents, we did not find significant references related to spinal cord injury, but the sharp rise in the number of motorcycles in the Procedures with anterior access
Summary
Spinomedullary injury is defined as damage to the spinal cord resulting in changes in the motor, sensory, or autonomic functions that may be temporary or permanent.[1]. Linked historically to traffic and urban violence, its real socioeconomic impact is not yet well characterized on a national level. Because there is no mandatory notification procedure, Brazil still does not have accurate figures, and the estimates are indirect and influenced by isolated case series, especially in the big cities. Even so, when compared to those in the international literature, the rates are alarming and the data are significant.[1,2,3,4,5] The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiological profile of patients who underwent surgical treatment in a referral hospital far from the major centers
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