Surgical considerations in the injured spine patient

Coda Change

In this podcast, Ruth provides a summary of surgical considerations when managing an injured spine patient. She covers imaging considerations, indications for surgery and challenges to delivering excellent surgical care. Ruth shares a story of one of the most severely injured patients she has ever looked after. A 78 year old woman came into a trauma centre having been driven over by a 4WD... twice. She had a fractured lower limb, significant chest trauma, a significantly deformed torso, she could not feel or move her legs (other than wiggle her toes slightly) and she had tyre marks on her torso... When looking at her injuries, it was clear that she had a significant group of chest injuries. This is an important reminder that spine trauma happens in the context of multi trauma. This subsequently impacts every step of the care process including surgical planning and management. The objective from the outset is to try and get patients like this to theatre as quickly as possible but there are surgical considerations to take in to account. Tune in to an incredible story as Ruth shares that the key to success is simple things done well, done consistently and in a team environment.

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