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Spinal Cord Injuries

  • Chapter
Surgical Intensive Care Medicine

Abstract

Spinal cord injury often results in devastating neurologic disability. As such, patients require significant intensive care medical expertise to optimize outcome. The pathophysiology of spinal cord injury involves both primary and secondary mechanisms of injury, the latter of which can be reduced by appropriate intensive care monitoring. Several key management principals, including optimization of cardiopulmonary status, immobilization of the craniospinal axis, and surgical intervention, when indicated, can significantly influence patient prognosis. In this chapter, the authors discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of spinal cord injury, as well as highlight preclinical and clinical research in this area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, 3rd Floor Silverstein Pavilion, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Zarina S. Ali MD

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, Lahey Hospital and Health System, Tufts University School of Medicine, Burlington, MA, USA

    Robert G. Whitmore MD

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  1. Zarina S. Ali MD
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  2. Robert G. Whitmore MD
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Correspondence to Zarina S. Ali MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical Critical Care; Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Division of Surgery, Burlington, Massachusetts, USA

    John M. O'Donnell

  2. Surgical Critical Care Medicine, Pr�-Card�o Hospital, Critical Care Medicine, University Hospital, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Flávio E. Nácul

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Ali, Z.S., Whitmore, R.G. (2016). Spinal Cord Injuries. In: O'Donnell, J., Nácul, F. (eds) Surgical Intensive Care Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19668-8_16

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