North American Spine Society Journal (NASSJ), 2023 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xnsj.2023.100285 · Published: October 5, 2023
This study investigates whether operating on patients with thoracolumbar spinal cord injuries (tSCI) within 8 hours of the injury leads to better outcomes. Researchers analyzed existing studies to compare patients who had surgery within 8 hours to those who had surgery later. The goal was to see if ultra-early surgery improves neurological recovery. The results suggest that operating within 8 hours leads to a significant improvement in the patient's condition, as measured by the AIS score, indicating better neurological recovery.
The findings suggest that hospitals should strive to implement systems that allow for ultra-early surgical decompression of tSCI patients when feasible.
Larger, controlled studies are needed to confirm the benefits of ultra-early decompression and to address confounding factors such as injury severity and surgical technique.
Healthcare systems should consider resource allocation and infrastructure improvements to facilitate timely access to specialized trauma care for tSCI patients.