An Italian survey of traumatic spinal cord injury. The Gruppo Italiano Studio Epidemiologico Mielolesioni study.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the etiology, clinical presentation, complications, outcome indicators, and links between emergency and acute intervention and rehabilitation of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI).


METHODS
Multicenter prospective study involving patients with SCI discharged, after rehabilitative care, between February 1, 1997, and January 31, 1999.


METHODS
Thirty-two Italian hospitals involved in SCI rehabilitation.


METHODS
Six hundred eighty-four patients with traumatic SCI on their first admission to a rehabilitation center.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Neurologic improvement (NI), bladder autonomy, feelings of dependency, and destination were evaluated on discharge. Pressure ulcers on admission, time from injury to admission, and length of stay (LOS) were considered as indirect measures of the effectiveness of the health system.


RESULTS
Traumatic etiology had a male-to-female ratio of 4:1 (548:136). Collision on the road was the main cause of traumatic injury (53.8%). Mean time from injury to admission was 36.8 days; 126 patients (18%) were admitted within the first week after injury. Mean LOS was 135.5 days. In 184 patients (26.9%), a pressure ulcer was present on admission. On discharge, NI was recorded in 179 patients (26.2%), whereas 446 (65%) and 418 (61%) had bladder and bowel autonomy, respectively, and 560 (81.9%) returned home. In the multivariate analysis, independent variables predicting poor outcome (NI, feelings of dependency, sphincter autonomy, discharge to home, LOS) were related both to the lesion (completeness, cervical involvement) and to the indicators of health service organization (time from injury to admission, complications on admission and during stay).


CONCLUSIONS
Our focus on the etiology of traumatic SCI showed that efforts should be made to prevent collisions on the road. Our study also highlights problems in the comprehensive management of patients with SCI in Italy. Better organization could help reduce the time from injury to admission, the number of complications on admission, and LOS, and it could help improve rehabilitation outcome.
D017677:Age Distribution; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices