'Drivers spinal cord injuries'

BACKGROUND: It has been estimated that up to one-quarter of spinal cord injuries may be significantly worsened during extrication or early treatment after a motor vehicle accident. STUDY OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze the planar motions of the head relative to the torso during extrication from an automobile in a laboratory setting. METHODS: Video motion capture was used to quantify the range of motion of the head relative to the torso in 10 participants as they were extricated from a mock motor vehicle during four different extrication techniques: 1) Unassisted Unprotected, 2) Unassisted Protected with a cervical collar (CC), 3) Assisted and Protected with a CC, and 4) Assisted and Protected with a CC and Kendrick Extrication Device...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes chronic peripheral sensitization of nociceptors and persistent generation of spontaneous action potentials (SA) in peripheral branches and the somata of hyperexcitable nociceptors within dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Here it is proposed that SCI triggers in numerous nociceptors a persistent hyperfunctional state (peripheral, synaptic, and somal) that originally evolved as an adaptive response to compensate for loss of sensory terminals after severe but survivable peripheral injury...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective economic analysis. OBJECTIVES: To determine the total direct costs of publicly funded health care utilization for the three fiscal years 2003/04 to 2005/06 (1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 to 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006), from the time of initial hospitalization to 1 year after initial acute discharge among individuals with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: Ontario, Canada. METHODS: Health system costs were calculated for 559 individuals with traumatic SCI (C1-T12 AIS A-D) for acute inpatient, emergency department, inpatient rehabilitation (that is, short-stay inpatient rehabilitation), complex continuing care (CCC) (i...

PURPOSE: Virtual reality (VR) is a relatively new technology that is currently utilized in a wide variety of settings to test and train individuals in specialized skills. This study examines methods for improving driver retraining protocols for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). METHOD: We compared a VR driving simulator, under two different display conditions, a head mounted display (HMD) and a three screen display (TSD) to identify the best method for retraining driving skills following SCI...

Non-missile penetrating spinal injuries are rare. Screw driver injury, more especially to the cervical spine, represents an even rarer subset. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case from West Africa of cervical spinal cord injury from a screw driver. A middle-aged man was stabbed from the back with a screw driver. He presented with right-sided C4 Brown-Sequard syndrome with the impaling object in situ. Cervical spine x-rays showed the screw driver to have gone into the spine between the spinous processes of C4 and C5, traversing the spinal canal and lodged in the anterior part of the C4/5 intervertebral disc space...

This study deals with deaths during the period 2004 to 2009 that occurred during the use of a vehicle known as pat-pat, which is an unusual vehicle, similar to a tractor-trailer used in agricultural production and transportation The records of crime scene investigation and autopsies of 28 cases of death due to pat-pat-related crushes were evaluated. Of all cases, 60.7 percent were drivers and the remaining 39.3% were passengers. The most common cause of death (in 39.3% of cases) was brain-spinal cord injury due to blunt trauma of the head and neck...

A middle-aged unrestrained driver involved in a minor motor vehicle crash arrived in the emergency department in complete spinal immobilization. The patient was initially moving both arms and legs spontaneously to commands, crying out in pain and complaining of pain out of proportion to his physical injuries. The only visible injury was a minor abrasion to the forehead. Spinal cord injuries related to trauma are not always obvious. Central cord syndrome (CCS) should be included in the differential diagnosis for spinal cord injuries, even with a minor hyperextension injury without a cervical spine fracture...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate and define the rates of infectious complications (IC) after vehicular trauma. Secondary goals were to identify the injuries associated with the greatest risk of nosocomial infection and to measure the utilization of hospital resources associated with IC and vehicular trauma. METHODS: A secondary analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2003-2007) was performed to classify major vehicular trauma injuries utilizing International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) Emergency (E) codes...

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Heated car seats are a common feature in newer automobiles. They are increasingly being recognized as potential hazards as there have been multiple reports of significant burns to its users. The potential for harm is considerably increased in those with impaired sensation with the possibility of a devastating injury. METHODS: Case report and literature review. RESULTS: A 26-year-old male with a T8 ASIA A paraplegia presented to the outpatient clinic for management of a hip burn...

We present a case of dorsal cervical spinal cord injury in a 16-year-old boy caused by a screwdriver. Neurological deficits were hypaesthesia of the right body and neurovegetative functional deficits. Magnetic resonance imaging showed significant myelopathy and a subdural haematoma of the cervical spine. Surgical treatment was not necessary. Rheological infusions, lumbar puncture and rehabilitation resulted in full neurological recovery.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness of electrical stimulation (ES) plus standard wound care (SWC) as compared with SWC only in a spinal cord injury (SCI) population with grade III/IV pressure ulcers (PUs) from the public payer perspective. DESIGN: A decision analytic model was constructed for a 1-year time horizon to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of ES plus SWC to SWC in a cohort of participants with SCI and grade III/IV PUs...

After injury GABA(A) receptor positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) mediate robust analgesia in animals via putative restoration of post-synaptic GABA(A)-α2 and -α3 receptor function within the spinal cord. GABA can also act at GABA(A) receptors localized on primary afferent neurones to inhibit presynaptic neurotransmitter release and produce analgesia via a process called primary afferent depolarization (PAD). Some forms of injury might sufficiently enhance PAD to shift it into a net excitatory process. Thus, negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) might also possess analgesic activity...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the patterns, predictors, and benefits associated with driving a modified vehicle for people with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). DESIGN: Cross-sectional retrospective survey design. SETTINGS: Sixteen Model SCI Systems (MSCISs) throughout the United States. PARTICIPANTS: People (N=3726) post-SCI from the National MSCIS Database. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Driving, employment, and community reintegration post-SCI...

UNLABELLED: Studies have suggested that individuals with physical disabilities are often stigmatized and are perceived to possess less favorable physical and psychological characteristics than individuals without disability. PURPOSE: To investigate whether able-bodied adults' perceptions of people with different causes of spinal cord injury (SCI) are influenced by physical activity status information. METHOD AND PARTICIPANTS: Each participant (N = 198) read all five vignettes describing individuals with SCI who had varying levels of physical activity participation and cause of injury information (e...

Due to the vehicle characteristics neck injuries are common in motorcycle and moped users involved in traffic accidents. We are reporting on neck injuries amongst 502 fatalities of drivers and passengers of motorcycles and mopeds, and cyclists. Cervical spine injuries were found in 124 cases (24.7%). Cervical spine injury was statistically significantly more frequently in passengers (61.9%) compared to the drivers (20.7%) of motorcycle and moped (chi2 = 13.384; p < 0.01), the lesions are usually localized in the upper cervical spine (52...

In late October, a hospital-based flight team was activated at 9:30 pm for an approximately 30-year-old man involved in a high-speed motor vehicle crash into a tree. Per emergency medical services (EMS) documentation, flight service was requested for advanced airway management and rapid transport of the patient to a Level 1 trauma center. Ground transport was estimated at 60+ minutes, whereas actual flight time was less than 15 minutes. On the crew's arrival at the designated landing zone, they were escorted to an ambulance where a 100-kg man was immobilized on a stretcher...

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to (a) identify changes in resilience and indicators of adjustment (i.e., satisfaction with life, depressive symptomatology, spirituality, functional independence) during inpatient rehabilitation after spinal cord injury (SCI) and (b) examine the relationship between each variable at different stages of the rehabilitation process. DESIGN: The sample consisted of 42 individuals with a SCI, including 33 men and 9 women who were inpatients for a mean stay of 51 days (SD = 14...

PURPOSE: To help people with disabilities such as those with spinal cord injury (SCI) to effectively utilise commercial pointing devices to operate computers. This study proposes a novel method to integrate the functions of commercial pointing devices. METHOD: Utilising software technology to develop an integrated pointing device driver (IPDD) for a computer operating system. RESULTS: The proposed IPDD has the following benefits: (1) it does not require additional hardware cost or circuit preservations, (2) it supports all standard interfaces of commercial pointing devices, including PS/2, USB and wireless interfaces and (3) it can integrate any number of devices...

The aim of the study was to investigate neurological outcome in road traffic accidents (RTA) with spinal cord injury (SCI). The study was undertaken in National Spinal Unit of Special Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, in Varazdinske Toplice, Croatia. Hospital records of 154 inpatient RTA SCI patients, in years 1991-2001 were reviewed. Six groups of patients were formed: car drivers, co-drivers, back seat passengers, motorcycle drivers, bicycle drivers and pedestrians. Neurological assessments at admission to rehabilitation and before discharge were done according to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale...

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective database review and analysis. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to determine the rate of cervical spine injuries with correct and incorrect use of front driver and passenger-side airbags. Summary of Background Data. Although there are abundant literature showing reduced injury severity and fatalities from seatbelts and airbags, no recent studies have delineated the affect of incorrect use of airbags in cervical spine injuries. METHODS: The database from the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation was searched for drivers and front-seat passenger injuries from 1990 to 2002...