Characteristics of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries, by age group
| Characteristic | Age group, yr; no. (%) of patients* | p value† | |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 70 yr n = 1273 | ≥ 70 yr n = 167 | ||
| Sex, male | 1007 (79.1) | 126 (75.5) | 0.3 |
| Injury from a fall | n = 1261 471 (37.4) | n = 166 138 (83.1) | < 0.001 |
| Injury from high-energy trauma | n = 1216 656 (54.0) | n = 160 32 (20.0) | < 0.001 |
| Injury Severity Score < 25 at admission | n = 688 269 (39.1) | n = 79 46 (58.2) | 0.001 |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index, median (IQR) | 0 (0–0) | 0 (0–1) | < 0.001 |
| Level of injury and AIS grade | n = 1036 | n = 136 | < 0.001 |
| C1–C4; AIS grade A, B, C | 193 (18.6) | 27 (19.9) | |
| C5–C8; AIS grade A, B, C | 219 (21.1) | 27 (19.9) | |
| T1–S5; AIS grade A, B, C | 347 (33.5) | 26 (19.1) | |
| All; AIS grade D | 277 (26.7) | 56 (41.2) | |
| AIS grade | n = 1105 | n = 142 | < 0.001 |
| A | 467 (42.3) | 30 (21.1) | |
| B | 120 (10.9) | 12 (8.5) | |
| C | 210 (19.0) | 41 (28.9) | |
| D | 308 (27.9) | 59 (41.6) | |
| Neurologic level of injury | n = 1055 | n = 141 | 0.001 |
| High cervical (C1–C4) | 308 (29.2) | 52 (36.9) | |
| Low cervical (C5–T1) | 342 (32.4) | 58 (41.1) | |
| Thoracic (T2–T10) | 201 (19.1) | 20 (14.2) | |
| Thoracolumbar (T11–L2) | 204 (19.3) | 11 (7.8) | |
| Time from injury to RHSCIR acute care site, h, median (IQR) | 8.0 (3–20) | 14.5 (6–59.5) | < 0.001 |
| Underwent acute surgical treatment | 1116 (87.7) | 134 (80.2) | 0.008 |
| Had postoperative complications‡ | n = 1008 224 (22.2) | n = 120 39 (32.5) | 0.01 |
| Length of stay, d, median (IQR) | |||
| Acute care hospital | 28 (16–46) | 35 (19–57) | < 0.005 |
| Rehabilitation hospital | 87 (57–135) | 86.5 (60–126) | 0.8 |
| All | 112 (68.5–173.5) | 110 (66–163.0) | 0.8 |
| In-hospital mortality | 7 (0.6) | 7 (4.2) | < 0.001 |
Note: AIS grade = American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale grade, CI = confidence interval, IQR = interquartile range, RHSCIR = Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry.
↵* Unless stated otherwise.
↵† Continuous variables compared using Wilcoxon rank-sum test; categorical variables compared using the χ2 test.
↵‡ Major complications studied were urinary tract infection, pneumonia, pressure ulcer and deep vein thrombosis.