REASONS FOR READMISSIONS IN A SAMPLE OF PAKISTANI PEOPLE WITH TRAUMATIC SPINAL CORD INJURY

Abstract

Objective: To ascertain different reasons for hospital readmissions in a sample of Pakistani individuals with chronic spinal cord injury. Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (AFIRM), Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Nov 2011 to Nov 2012. Material and Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey carried out on individuals with chronic spinal cord injury admitted to the indoor spinal cord injury rehabilitation unit of AFIRM, Rawalpindi. SCI individuals having traumatic SCI of >6 months duration and injury scales of A-D defined by American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) were included. Results: Out of 51 recruited patients (mean age 35 ± 11 years), majority (90.2%) were male, educated from grade 9-10, and developed SCI following a motor vehicle accident. Cervical neurological level was the commonest and the majority (74.5%) had SCI of AIS-A on readmission. Diabetes mellitus was the commonest co-morbidity. The mean duration post injury was 3.5 years. The common causes of readmission were pain (27.5%), spasticity (25.5%), and pressure ulcers (19.6%).The mean length of stay was 11.6 days. Conclusion: Pain, spasticity, and pressure ulcers were the main reasons for hospital readmissions in our sample of Pakistani people with chronic traumatic SCI.

Keywords

• trauma
• spinal cord injury
• spasticity
• pressure ulcer
• pain