PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF CERVICAL SPINE INJURY AMONG PATIENTS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY IN SAUDI ARABIA

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is commonly associated with other injuries, such as cervical spine injury (CSI), which critically affects TBI patients, interfering with airway management techniques, selection of proper radiological studies, and the management of both injuries. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, mechanism of injury, and characteristics of CSI in patients who sustain TBI. In addition, it aimed to identify the associated injuries in patients experiencing both TBI and CSI, and their effect on patient mortality and course of hospitalization. The study was conducted in the Health Information Management department. The charts of all adult (>14-year-old) patients presenting with TBI to the Emergency Department of King Abdulaziz Medical City in Jeddah or whom had been referred from other hospitals over a four-year period (January 2013 to December 2016), were reviewed. 220 patients with traumatic brain injury were included in the study. Most of the patients were young adults (median age 29 years). In 185 of the 220 patients (84.1%), a diagnosis of CSI was ruled out on the basis of clinical presentation and computed tomography scan reports. A diagnosis of CSI was confirmed in the remaining 35 patients (prevalence 15.9%). The prevalence of facial injury was higher among patients with CSI than among those without, as were the prevalence of thoracic trauma, rib fractures, thoracolumbar fractures, and abdominal injury. The prevalence of CSI was highest among young adults (greater in men than women) who had sustained motor vehicle-related injury, and CSI was usually associated with thoracic trauma, rib fractures and abdominal injury, that were consistent with the mechanism of injury.