• Mendel Kupfer, Brian T Kucer, Herschel Kupfer, and Christopher S Formal.
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Spinal Cord Injury Medical Home at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• J Emerg Med. 2018 Aug 1; 55 (2): 206-212.

BackgroundPersons with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are frequent utilizers of emergency medical services but are a poorly understood and medically complex population. As the treatment of acute spinal cord injuries improves, there is a growing population of patients suffering from the chronic neurological deficits and altered homeostasis resulting from those injuries.ObjectivesWe sought to highlight the unique diagnostic challenges of treating persons with SCIs and to review ailments uncommon in the general population but often encountered in this population.DiscussionSpinal cord anatomy is briefly reviewed and commonly used nomenclature and grading scales are defined. An organ by organ review is offered detailing unique clinical issues that pertain to those systems. Practice pearls and pitfall are elucidated when relevant. Psychiatric complications of this disease entity are also discussed.ConclusionA SCI is a devastating but increasingly survivable event. The long-term care of persons with SCIs is challenging because of the unique pathologies encountered in this population and the disruption of normal and expected physiological responses to common ailments. This review will facilitate a better understanding of the emergency care needs of this unique patient population.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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