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Acute Management of Spinal Cord Injury

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Management and Rehabilitation of Spinal Cord Injuries
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Abstract

The acute care physician or surgeon will address issues such as appropriate resuscitation and stabilization, type of spinal injury, neurological deficit secondary to spinal cord injury, lesion stability, and surgical or nonsurgical treatment. Early or acute hospital treatment includes diagnostic assessment and decision-making for surgery of spinal injuries and associated injuries, as well as management of complications resulted from spinal cord injuries such as cardiac, respiratory, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, nutritional problems, venous thrombosis, and pressure injuries. Gastric hyperacidity, paralytic ileus, and pancreatic sphincter dysfunction can cause stress ulcers, vomiting, aspiration, fecal impaction, and pancreatitis. Bladder dysfunction leads to urinary stasis, which can lead to cystitis, pyelonephritis, hydronephrosis, stone formation, and renal failure. Early rehabilitation interventions and psychosocial intervention should begin with acute medical and surgical management.

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Ko, HY. (2019). Acute Management of Spinal Cord Injury. In: Management and Rehabilitation of Spinal Cord Injuries. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7033-4_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7033-4_10

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