Despite significant improvements in prehospital, critical care and surgical management, traumatic spinal cord injury is still a major cause of disability with devastating physical, social and psychological consequences, leading to significant direct and indirect health care costs. Taking a practical approach, this book addresses all aspects of traumatic spinal cord injury, from the pre-hospital setting to discharge. Furthermore, the book highlights the central role of trauma networks and neurocritical care specialisation.Encouraging a protocol-driven, multidisciplinary approach, the authors provide a methodological description of the diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury throughout the patient's entire course. Neurological injuries and their sequelae assume predominant significance in this type of patient. Patients with traumatic spinal cord injury may suffer from both acute injuries and long-term dysfunctions affecting different types of organs and apparatuses. Bradyarrhythmia, haemodynamic instability, hypothermia, hyperthermia, pain, spasticity and autonomic dysreflexia are just a few examples of the possible debilitating conditions that our patients may suffer from and that, consequently, the clinician must address. Consequently, a multidisciplinary approach is required to provide appropriate clinical management. Paying particular attention to prognosis and the implementation of an early neurorehabilitation programme, the authors examine the challenges of living with spinal cord injury for both patients and families.
