Early predictors of disability after spine trauma identified

(HealthDay)—The presence of hypotension, hyperglycemia, and moderate or severe traumatic brain injury early after spine trauma are independent predictors of functional disability at one year, according to a review published in the May 20 issue of Spine.

To identify early predictors of functional disability, Jin W. Tee, M.B.B.S., from The Alfred in Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review involving patients with spine trauma from May 2009 to January 2011 (305 patients with subaxial cervical spine injuries and 653 patients with thoracolumbar spine injuries). The Glasgow Outcome Scale was used to assess functional outcomes at one year.

The researchers identified three significant independent early spine trauma predictors of functional disability in multivariate logistic regression: hypotension (odds ratio, 1.98); hyperglycemia (odds ratio, 1.67); and moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (odds ratio, 5.88). Agreements were 96.1 and 98.9 percent, respectively, for the subaxial cervical spine injury classification and thoracolumbar injury classification and severity score compliance studies.

"Early independent spine trauma predictors of functional disability identified in a level 1 trauma center with high compliance to the subaxial cervical spine injury classification and thoracolumbar injury classification and severity score algorithms were hypotension, hyperglycemia, and moderate or severe traumatic brain injury," the authors write. "Spine trauma injury variables alone were shown not to be predictive of functional disability."

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