The profile of spinal injuries in Porto Alegre

Abstract

This transversal study aimed at determining the profile of the population who suffered spinal injury (SI) and was admitted to emergency hospitals in Porto Alegre/RS. The profile of the population who had SI between January 2005 and January 2010 was retrospectively investigated through data collected from medical records. A total of 1320 records were analyzed, of which 63.3% were male, with a mean age of 47.02±19.6 years. The most prevalent SCI mechanisms were falls from a height (27.2%), traffic accidents (25.8%) and falls from own height (13.2%) and the spinal levels that are usually affected were lumbar (35, 6%), thoracic (21.9%) and cervical (20.5%). Only 142 (10.7%) individuals who had a SI had spinal cord injury (SCI), with a higher prevalence of incomplete lesion (63.3%). In Porto Alegre SI affects mainly middle aged men, who fell from a height and had the lumbar level as the most affected. The SCI affects younger individuals at the cervical level. These findings are important to guide the efficient allocation of resources for the management of these injuries and their repercussions and to prevent this kind of event in the risk population.