PEDIATRIC SPINE TRAUMA

Course overview

A SPINAL CORD INJURY IS A POTENTIALLY CRIPPLING INJURY WHICH OFTEN RESULTS IN SEVERE AND PERMANENT DISABILITY. QUITE OFTEN WHEN ENCOUNTERING MULTI-SYSTEM TRAUMA IN A PATIENT, THE PRESENCE OF SPINAL INJURY SHOULD BE HIGHLY SUSPECTED. MOREOVER, UP TO 5% OF PATIENTS WITH A HEAD INJURY MAY ALSO HAVE AN ASSOCIATED SPINAL INJURY, MAKING IT AN INJURY WITH A NEED FOR TIME-SENSITIVE INTERVENTION. SPINAL CORD INJURY INVOLVES VARIOUS LEVELS OF THE SPINE. THE ANNUAL INCIDENCE OF SPINAL CORD INJURY IS APPROXIMATELY 40 CASES PER MILLION POPULATION. ADOLESCENT BOYS ARE AT HIGHEST RISK FOR INJURIES. THE NON-ACCIDENTAL INJURY IS AN UNDERREPORTED MECHANISM; THEREFORE, THE TRUE INCIDENCE OF SPINAL INJURIES IS UNDERESTIMATED. AMONGST THE VARIOUS LEVELS OF INJURIES, CERVICAL SPINE INJURIES ARE RARE IN CHILDREN AND OCCUR IN LESS THAN 1% OF THESE PATIENTS DUE TO UNDERLYING ANATOMICAL DIFFERENCES COMPARED TO ADULTS. THIS ACTIVITY EXAMINES WHEN THIS CONDITION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS AND HOW TO PROPERLY EVALUATE IT. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN CARING FOR PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH SPINAL TRAUMA.