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The Relevance of the Occult Cervical Spine Controversy and Mechanism of Injury to Prehospital Protocols: A Review of the Issues and Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Alexander M. Butman ,
Daniel T. Schelble  and
Richard W. Vomacka
Alexander M. Butman*
Affiliation:
Emergency Training Institute, Fairlawn, Ohio and the Department of Emergency Medicine, Akron General Medical Center, Akron, Ohio
Daniel T. Schelble
Affiliation:
Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Akron General Medical Center, Akron, Ohio
Richard W. Vomacka
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Technology, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio
*
Executive Director, Emergency Training Institute, Miller Landing, Building 200, 150 North Miller Road, Akron, OH 44333, USA
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Extract

Prehospital guidelines that define the clinical indications for spine trauma also serve as the criteria for selective spinal immobilization in the field. Therefore, these criteria are important for avoiding further spinal cord damage. Because some spine injuries may occur without neurological deficits or other clinical signs, the recommended field guidelines extend beyond the signs and symptoms and include mechanisms of injury or other injuries commonly associated with a high risk of spine injury.

Keywords

cervical spinecontroversycurriculafracturesimmobilizationmechanism of injuryoccult cervical spinal injuryprehospitalspinal cordspinal injury
Type
Special Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , September 1996 , pp. 228 - 233
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1996

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