Surgical Blood Pressure Management and Expected Motor Recovery in Individuals with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

STUDY PURPOSE: Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) during surgical intervention for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) was used to assess associations with motor recovery during the acute phase (post-surgery to rehabilitation discharge). DATA COLLECTED: Retrospective data were abstracted for 25 patients with Spinal Cord injury admitted to SCVMC Trauma Service as well as SCVMC Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Department. Abstracted data included: Sex, Cause of Injury, Number of unique Vasopressors, Level of Injury, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) Grade, AIS motor score, Age, Time to surgery, Days between American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) exam, Rehabilitation Length of Stay, Acute Length of Stay, and Mean Arterial Blood Pressure. AIS motor score changes were assessed at the earliest postoperative assessment and at discharge from acute rehabilitation. MAP was measured by an arterial line blood pressure monitor during spinal stabilization surgery. PRIMARY CONCLUSION: Recovery trajectories may be impacted by deviations from normotensive states (i.e., hypertension and hypotension) during surgery in individuals with SCI.