Prehospital care of spinal injuries: a historical quest for reasoning and evidence.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

The practice of prehospital immobilization is coming under increasing scrutiny. Unravelling the historical sequence of prehospital immobilization might shed more light on this matter and help resolve the situation. Main purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the development and reasoning behind the implementation of prehospital spine immobilization.

METHODS:

An extensive search throughout historical literature and recent evidence based studies was conducted.

RESULTS:

The history of treating spinal injuries dates back to prehistoric times. Descriptions of prehospital spinal immobilization are more recent and span two distinct periods. First documentation of its use comes from the early 19th century, when prehospital trauma care was introduced on the battlefields of the Napoleonic wars. The advent of radiology gradually helped to clarify the underlying pathology. In recent decades, adoption of advanced trauma life support has elevated in-hospital trauma-care to an high standard. Practice of in-hospital spine immobilization in case of suspected injury has also been implemented as standard-care in prehospital setting. Evidence for and against prehospital immobilization is equally divided in recent evidence-based studies. In addition, recent studies have shown negative side-effects of immobilisation in penetrating injuries.

CONCLUSION:

Although widely implementation of spinal immobilization to prevent spinal cord injury in both penetrating and blunt injury, it cannot be explained historically. Furthermore, there is no high-level scientific evidence to support or reject immobilisation in blunt injury. Since evidence in favour and against prehospital immobilization is equally divided, the present situation appears to have reached something of a deadlock. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

• Authors: J G Ten Brinke, S R Groen, M Dehnad, T P Saltzherr, M Hogervorst, J C Goslings
• Journal: European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society (Eur Spine J) Vol. 27 Issue 12 Pg. 2999-3006 (12 2018) ISSN: 1432-0932 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 30220041 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Topics

• Emergency Medical Services (methods)
• Evidence-Based Emergency Medicine (methods)
• Humans
• Immobilization (adverse effects)
• Spinal Cord Injuries (prevention & control)
• Spinal Injuries (therapy)
• Wounds, Nonpenetrating (therapy)
• Wounds, Penetrating (therapy)