On 17 October, we marked ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ, a chance to recognise how far the management of traumatic injuries, including spinal cord injury (SCI), has come.
Each year in Australia, an estimated 350-400 people sustain a new spinal cord injury, from traumatic and non-traumatic causes. Behind every number is a person, a family and a future that research can help change.
Road accidents and falls remain major causes of traumatic SCI, with men disproportionately represented. While these injuries can have lifelong consequences, advances in emergency medicine and trauma care have significantly changed how people are managed in the critical hours following injury.
Over the past two decades, the management of spinal cord injury has evolved considerably, particularly in the period between injury and arrival at hospital. The Victorian State Trauma System provides evidence-based guidelines that emphasise:
- early identification of spinal injuries,
- protective handling,
- regular neurological assessment,
- maintaining adequate breathing and circulation, and
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reducing the risk of secondary spinal cord damage.
Importantly, these guidelines recognise that early clinical decisions, timely communication and appropriate transport to specialist services can influence longer-term outcomes.
Since its establishment in 2000, the Victorian State Trauma System has helped improve the coordination of emergency response, retrieval and specialist trauma care, contributing to better outcomes for people experiencing major trauma. For spinal cord injury, this includes pathways to specialist services such as the ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ at Austin Health.
๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ is an opportunity to recognise the paramedics, clinicians, researchers and specialist teams who have contributed to these improvements, while acknowledging the importance of continued research and investment in improving spinal cord injury care, from the moment of injury through to rehabilitation and beyond.
Header image and infographic source: Victorian State Trauma
Infographic title: Spinal Trauma - Rapid Reference Guideline