Article

OBJECTIVE: To assess the number and nature of complications during the acute
phase following traumatic spinal cord injury and to explore the relationship
between number of complications and length of hospital stay.
DESIGN: Multi-centre
prospective cohort study. PATIENTS: A total of 54 patients with traumatic spinal
cord injury, referred to 3 level 1 trauma centres in The Netherlands. METHODS:
The number and nature of complications were registered weekly from September 2009
to December 2011. RESULTS:
A total of 32 patients (59%) had 1 or more medical
complications. The most common complications were pressure ulcers (17 patients,
31%) and pulmonary complications (15 patients, 28%). PATIENTS with 3 or 4
complications had significantly (p < 0.01) longer hospital stays (58.5 [32.5]
days) compared with those with 1 or 2 complications (33.1 [14.8] days) or no
complications (21.5 [15.6] days). CONCLUSION: Complications, particularly
pressure ulcers and pulmonary complications, occurred frequently during the acute
phase following traumatic spinal cord injury. More complications were associated
with longer hospital stays. Despite the existence of protocols, more attention is
needed to prevent pressure ulcers during the acute phase following traumatic
spinal cord injury for patients in The Netherlands.

Langue : ANGLAIS