Acute Spinal Cord Injury Is Associated With Prevalent Cardiometabolic Risk Factors.

OBJECTIVES: To (1) describe the prevalence of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) at spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation discharge; (2) compare this with controls without SCI; and (3) identify factors associated with increased CMD. DESIGN: Multicenter, prospective observational study. SETTING: Five National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Model SCI Rehabilitation Centers. PARTICIPANTS: SCI (n=95): patients aged 18-70 years, with SCI (neurologic levels of injury C2-L2, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grades A-D), and enrolled within 2 months of initial rehabilitation discharge. Control group (n=1609): age/sex/body mass index-matched entries in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Education Survey (2016-2019) (N=1704). INTERVENTIONS: None MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of participants with SCI with CMD diagnosis, prevalence of CMD determinants within 2 months of rehabilitation discharge, and other significant early risk associations were analyzed using age, sex, body mass index, insulin resistance (IR) by fasting glucose and Homeostasis Model Assessment (v.2), fasting triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and resting blood pressure (systolic and diastolic). RESULTS: Participants with SCI had significantly higher diastolic blood pressure and triglycerides than those without SCI, with lower fasting glucose and HDL-C. A total of 74.0% of participants with SCI vs 38.5% of those without SCI were obese when applying population-specific criteria (P<.05). Low HDL-C was measured in 54.2% of participants with SCI vs 15.4% of those without (P<.05). IR was not significantly different between groups. A total of 31.6% of participants with SCI had ≥3 CMD determinants, which was 40.7% higher than those without SCI (P<.05). Interplay of lipids and lipoproteins (ie, total cholesterol:HDL-C ratio and triglyceride:HDL-C ratio) were associated with elevated risk in participants with SCI for myocardial infarction and stroke. The only significant variable associated with CMD was age (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with SCI have an increased CMD risk compared with the general population; obesity, IR, and low HDL-C are the most common CMD risk determinants; age is significantly associated with early CMD.

Non-opioid pharmacologic treatment of chronic spinal cord injury-related pain.

Purpose: Spinal cord injury-related pain is often a severe debilitating condition that adversely affects the patient's physical health, psychological wellbeing and quality of life. Opioid medications have historically been prescribed to this population with great frequency. As opioid abuse disorder becomes an ever-worsening public health issue, more attention must be placed upon non-opioid options. This paper reviews non-opioid medications to be considered when treating spinal cord injury-related pain. The pertinent literature is reviewed, and the advantages and pitfalls of various medication options are discussed in the complicated context of the individual with a spinal cord injury.Methods: Peer-reviewed journal articles and medication package insert data are reviewed.Results:. The non-opioid medications with the greatest evidence for efficacy in the treatment of chronic spinal cord injury-related pain are drawn from the antiepileptic drug and antidepressant categories though the specific selection must be nuanced to the particular individual patient. More research is required to understand the role of calcitonin, lithium, and marijuana in treating spinal cord injury-related pain.Conclusions: The complex clinical situation of each individual patient must be weighed against the risks and benefits of each medication, as reviewed in this paper, to determine the ideal treatment strategy for chronic spinal cord injury-related pain.

Timing and pattern of readmission in individuals with spinal cord injury in the setting of a specialized medical home.

BACKGROUND: The rate of readmission in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) is known to be high (28% to 45%) during the first year post-injury and post-rehabilitation. However, there are several critical gaps in our knowledge including the timing pattern of medical complications and the pattern of health complications associated with readmissions. OBJECTIVE: To identify the timing and pattern of complications associated with hospital readmissions in individuals with traumatic SCI and non-traumatic spinal cord disorders (SCI) post-discharge from an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF). DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a three year prospective cohort study. SETTING: An SCI medical home. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals who were readmitted (n = 53) within the first year (N = 176) post-discharge from an IRF. INTERVENTIONS: N/A. OUTCOME MEASURES: Timing and pattern of all-cause hospital readmissions. RESULTS: Eighty one percent of the readmitted patients experienced readmission within the first six months after discharge, and 36% of the initial readmissions occurred within 30 days of discharge from an IRF. The trend line for the timing of the first readmission post-discharge from an IRF was curvilinear, with a sharp decrease in the number of new patients readmitted for months 1-7 and then a slight increase between 9 and 12 months. Urological and respiratory complications were related to repeat readmissions. CONCLUSION: The patient is at the greatest risk of readmission in the first 6 months, with a secondary increase in risk at 9 months. Possible reasons may include reduction in in-home and outpatient therapy and skilled nursing over the first year post-SCI.

Decreasing re-hospitalizations and emergency department visits in persons with recent spinal cord injuries using a specialized medical home.

Objective: To determine whether a specialized medical home can reduce re-hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits as compared to reports in the literature for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) in the first year post-discharge from acute inpatient rehabilitation.Design: A three-year prospective cohort study.Setting: An academic free standing inpatient rehabilitation hospital (IRF), participating in the SCI Model Systems network, serving urban, rural and suburban settings in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America.Participants: 176 successive individuals with varying levels of SCI, inclusive of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, discharged from rehabilitation from 2/1/15 to 7/1/17, who met criteria and consented to participate.Interventions: Pre-discharge communication between the inpatient and outpatient staff was initiated, medication education by a pharmacist was added, 1 month of discharge medications was offered, and proactive phone calls to patients after discharge were instituted. In addition, patients were offered a 24/7 hotline to reach physician and nursing staff, and multidisciplinary outpatient follow-up was provided in conjunction with extensive proactive case management.Outcome measures: All-cause hospital readmission and ED visits.Results: Thirty percent of the individuals were readmitted within the first year after discharge from an IRF, and 24% were readmitted within the first year after onset. The incidence of readmission was 0.46 and 0.36 respectively. Forty-one percent had an ED visit.Conclusion: The results suggest that the medical home interventions decreased the rate and incidence of readmission and the rate of ED usage in the first year.

Persons With Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries in the Emergency Department: a Review of a Unique Population.

BACKGROUND: Persons with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are frequent utilizers of emergency medical services but are a poorly understood and medically complex population. As the treatment of acute spinal cord injuries improves, there is a growing population of patients suffering from the chronic neurological deficits and altered homeostasis resulting from those injuries. OBJECTIVES: We sought to highlight the unique diagnostic challenges of treating persons with SCIs and to review ailments uncommon in the general population but often encountered in this population. DISCUSSION: Spinal cord anatomy is briefly reviewed and commonly used nomenclature and grading scales are defined. An organ by organ review is offered detailing unique clinical issues that pertain to those systems. Practice pearls and pitfall are elucidated when relevant. Psychiatric complications of this disease entity are also discussed. CONCLUSION: A SCI is a devastating but increasingly survivable event. The long-term care of persons with SCIs is challenging because of the unique pathologies encountered in this population and the disruption of normal and expected physiological responses to common ailments. This review will facilitate a better understanding of the emergency care needs of this unique patient population.

Effusion of the hips in a patient with tetraplegia.

BACKGROUND: Patients with spinal cord injury are at risk for knee effusion, most likely as a result of repetitive microtrauma. Patients with paralysis are susceptible to effusions of the hip similar to those seen in documented cases regarding the knee. The etiology is likely similar and is related to repetitive microtrauma, such as that experienced when aggressive range of motion exercises are applied. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Acute rehabilitation department of a spinal cord injury center. FINDINGS: A 19-year-old man with a complete cervical spinal cord injury presented to acute rehabilitation on postinjury day 25 with a C6 American Spinal Injury Association classification A injury, complete. He was found to have bilateral hip effusions. Joint aspiration yielded a right sterile hydroarthrosis and a left sterile hemarthrosis. During his rehabilitation stay, the patient developed one mildly elevated alkaline phosphatase level, but he showed no radiographic evidence of heterotopic ossification and maintained full passive range of motion of the hips. CONCLUSION: This case indicates that hip effusion may be a similar, less-common occurrence than knee effusion in patients with spinal cord injury. In this case, bilateral aseptic hip effusion was not associated with heterotopic ossification. More research is needed to determine the etiology and sequelae of this condition.

Retroperitoneal false aneurysm presenting as anterior thigh pain and weakness: a case report.

This case highlights the importance of considering retroperitoneal pathology in the differential diagnosis of anterior thigh pain and weakness. We describe a woman in her mid seventies with a history of a left total hip arthroplasty and lumbar decompression who presented with left anterior thigh pain and left lower-extremity weakness. A computed tomography scan of the retroperitoneum revealed a mass along the left iliopsoas muscle. An arteriogram revealed a large false aneurysm that communicated with the left common femoral artery. Surgery to resect the aneurysm revealed exposed parts of the hip replacement that may have contributed to the formation of the aneurysm. We concluded that imaging of the retroperitoneum should be considered in any patient presenting with anterior thigh pain and weakness.