Epidemiological Analysis of 459 Patients Hospitalized With Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Suzhou City, China

Study design Retrospective study.Objective: To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of patients hospitalized with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Setting: The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow UniversityMethods: This retrospective epidemiological study included 459 patients hospitalized with TSCI. Results: Mean age in this patient cohort was 50.7 ± 14.2 years, and 50–59 year olds were the most vulnerable age group (27.0%). Main cause of injury was fall from height in the 10-49 year-old group, traffic accident in the 50-79 year-old group, and low fall in ≥80 year-old group. Traffic accident accounted for the largest proportion of injuries (37.0%). The male-to-female ratio was 3.1:1, with more males than females accounting for all causes of injury. The difference in proportion of males to females was the greatest for fall from height and lowest for low fall. The anatomical site most vulnerable to fracture was the cervical segment (68.2%). Thoracolumbar segment (15.0%) was the anatomical site most frequently injured in fall from height, and the cervical segment was the most commonly injured site for all the remaining causes of injury. Most patients were classified with Grade D injuries using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment scale. The most common complication of injuries was urinary tract infection (48.3%). Patients with bedsores had the longest hospital stay, with an average of 105 days. Patients with complications had significantly longer hospital stays than those without complications. Patients with multiple complications had longer hospital stays than those with a single complication. Patients receiving surgery accounted for 82.4%, and those receiving conservative treatment accounted for 17.6%, of our patient population. Average length of hospital stay for all patients was 51.1 ± 79.3 days. Patients that received surgery, those with ASIA Grade A, and those with injured thoracolumbar segment had prolonged hospital stays.Conclusion: Patients with TSCI were generally of advanced age. Traffic accident was the main cause of TSCI, but causes of TSCI were different in different age groups. Elderly patients showed a high rate of low fall. The majority of TSCI occurred in male patients, and males and females had different causes of TSCI. Neck injuries were relatively common. Injury sites varied according to the different causes of injury. The prolonged hospital stays of patients with TSCI were related to numerous factors. Our study highlights the need to focus on the prevention and treatment of various complications, and selection of appropriate treatment, in patients with TSCI. TSCI should be comprehensively prevented according to its epidemiological characteristics.