Risk factors predicting mortality in spinal cord injury in nigeria

Objectives: Among spinal cord injured patients managed conservatively in Nigeria, to determine the number of death within the 6 month of injury and to identify risk factors that may be associated with such mortality. Design and setting: A retrospective cohort study set in Nigeria Methods: Patients were identified from the hospital trauma database. Over 11-year period (January 1997- December 2007) mortality within the first 6 month of spinal cord injury was determined and risk factors examined. Results: 582 patients were eligible for the study and data were obtained for 422 (72.5%) patients with a mean age of 37.2 (±14.2) years at 6 months follow-up. There were a total of 144 (34.1%) deaths during the period reviewed. Significant risk factors associated with such mortality were age, presentation after 24hrs, multiple hospital presentation, injury severity score (ISS), cervical spine injury, and complete neurologic deficit at presentation. Conclusion: This study identified prognostic factors that may assist clinicians in identifying and categorizing patients into treatment plan that could reduce mortality.