title: Critical care of traumatic spinal cord injury.
abstract: Approximately 11 000 people suffer traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in the United States, each year. TSCI incidences vary from 13.1 to 52.2 per million people and the mortality rates ranged from 3.1 to 17.5 per million people. This review examines the critical care of TSCI. The discussion will focus on primary and secondary mechanisms of injury, spine stabilization and immobilization, surgery, intensive care management, airway and respiratory management, cardiovascular complication management, venous thromboembolism, nutrition and glucose control, infection management, pressure ulcers and early rehabilitation, pharmacologic cord protection, and evolving treatment options including the use of pluripotent stem cells and hypothermia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. xjia1@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kowalski
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Sciubba
authors.forename: Romergryko G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Geocadin
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019990:Perioperative Care; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000601:surgery* / Q000628:therapy; D014947:Wounds and Injuries