Parham Daneshvar, an MD from the University of Ottawa, and his colleagues have conducted a retrospective cohort study on the effects of cervical spine (C-spine) fractures, injury level, and severity of spinal cord injuries (SCI) in relation to mortality rates of those afflicted with SCIs.
The study was performed at two Level 1 trauma centers and involved 37 consecutive patients over the age of 60 with SCIs related to C-spine fractures.
The researchers found that the in-hospital mortality rate was 38 per cent, with respiratory failure as the leading cause of death, according to the Health Daily News.
Daneshvar’s team explained that by using the knowledge discovered through the study, physicians might be able to better determine prognosis and treatment in elderly patients with C-spine fractures and other naturally occurring SCIs.
