Analysis of epidemiological indicators, hospital treatment, the nature and type of spinal injuries in adult patients treated at a level I trauma center

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury is a leading cause of disability in the adult population. Although spinal cord injuries represent a small proportion of trauma cases, they require special attention due to poor functional outcomes with serious negative socio-economic consequences. AIM: To analyse demographic data, mechanism, location and type of injury in patients with spinal fractures treated at a level I trauma centre in Tyumen over a five-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the medical records of all patients with spinal fractures who were treated at the State Budget Institution of Tuymen Regional Clinical Hospital No. 2 between 2018 and 2022. RESULTS: Spinal fractures were diagnosed in 1521 patients, i.e. 35.4 cases per 100,000 population per year; 5.5% had complicated fractures. The mean age of the injured was 53.5±12.5 years, and the majority of the patients were men (54.3%). The main cause of spinal fractures was falls — 68.0%; in the age group over 65 years, falls from own height (2 m) predominated — 49.6%. Road traffic accidents were the cause of injury in 18.2% of patients and were more common in the 25–34 age group. Injuries to the L1 vertebra (21.0%) were the most common in terms of location, with single fractures occurring in 75.1% of cases. CONCLUSION: During the five-year follow-up period, there was an increase in the number of spinal fractures. In addition, there was an annual increase in the number of spinal fractures in the over-65s, which was higher than in younger patients. Despite this increase, a significant number of spinal fractures continue to be diagnosed in the 35–64 age group. This study could help predict and improve the prevention and treatment of spinal fractures.