Respiratory failure in thoracic spine injuries. Does the timing of dorsal stabilization have any effect on the clinical course in multiply injured patients?

Proper timing of stabilization for spinal injuries is discussed controversially. Whereas early repair of long bone fractures is known to reduce complications, few studies exist that investigate this issue in acute spinal trauma. In particular, the importance of coexisting lung injuries has to be determined, as it might influence clinical course and outcome. We investigated retrospectively 30 severely injured patients who were stabilized dorsally for fractures of the thoracic and upper lumbar spine. The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 41 points. Patients were divided into two groups: group I: acute trauma/stabilization < 72 h and group II: acute trauma/stabilization > 72 h. All patients in groups I and II presented radiological or clinical signs of lung contusion. The average duration of the procedures in group I was 199 min (115-312 min) and in group II 139 min (98-269 min). Intraoperative blood loss and PaO2/FiO2-ratio did not differ significantly between the two groups. The overall in ICU and hospital stay was significantly shorter in group I: 16 days (1-78 days) versus 24 days (7-86 days) in the late group II. Postoperative respirator therapy was necessary in group I for 15 days (0-79 days) and in group II for 19 days (4-31 days). The mortality rate was 10% in this series. Our data provide further evidence that early stabilization of spinal injuries is safe in severely injured patients, does not impair perioperative lung function, and results in a reduced overall ICU and hospital stay. Further prospective randomized investigations are warranted to prove these results.