Surgical considerations in the injured spine patient by Ruth Mitchell
In this podcast, Ruth provides a summary of surgical considerations when managing an injured spine patient. She covers imaging considerations, indications for surgery and challenges to delivering excellent surgical care.
Ruth shares a story of one of the most severely injured patients she has ever looked after. A 78-year-old woman came into a trauma centre after being driven over by a 4WD… twice.
She had a fractured lower limb, significant chest trauma, a significantly deformed torso, she could not feel or move her legs (other than wiggle her toes slightly) and she had tyre marks on her torso…
It was obvious from looking at her injuries that she had a significant group of chest injuries. This is an important reminder that spine trauma happens in the context of multi-trauma. This subsequently impacts every step of the care process including surgical planning and management.
The objective from the outset is to try and get patients like this to theatre as quickly as possible but there are surgical considerations to take into account.
Anatomical considerations, whether the patient is stable enough for an MRI, the positioning of the patient during surgery, the surgical approach…
Tune in to an incredible story as Ruth shares the key to success: simple things done well, done consistently and in a team environment.
Surgical considerations in the injured spine patient by Ruth Mitchell
For more head to our podcast page #CodaPodcast
