1240 - Changes in Spinal Cord Injury Etiology Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Friday, February 23, 2024

5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT

Presenting Author(s)

AB

Alison E. Bond, BA

Medical Student
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, New York, United States
TC

Timothy H. Chan, BS

Medical Student
SUNY Upstate Medical University
SYRACUSE, New York, United States

Co-Author(s)

OT

Oliver Tamis, DO

Resident
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, New York, United States
Katherine D. Goss, MPH

Disability and Health Senior Researcher
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, New York, United States

Corresponding Author(s)

Margaret A. Turk, MD

Vice-Chairman
SUNY Upstate Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Syracuse, New York, United States
CC

Cesar Colasante, MD

Clinical Instructor
SUNY Upstate Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Syracuse, New York, United States

Objectives: In 2020, quarantines and lockdowns from the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic changed many aspects of society. Previous research indicated that reduced driving/commuting decreased motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) during the pandemic. Given that most spinal cord injuries (SCI) are secondary to traumatic events (with MVA being the most common), this pilot study sought to explore the impact that quarantines/lockdowns may have on SCI etiologies. This study compared inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) admissions from an academic center with level 1 trauma designation before and during the pandemic.

Design: A retrospective electronic chart review was conducted of SCI patients admitted to the IRF during the first three months of 2018 (pre-pandemic) and 2021 (during-pandemic). Data collected included demographics, SCI etiology, acute management, severity and vertebral level of SCI, length of stay (LOS), and discharge destination. Descriptive statistics and comparisons were completed.

Results: 43 patients were included (n=21 in 2018; n=22 in 2021). The incidence of traumatic SCI was lower than established norms for both years, with incidence of traumatic SCI decreasing from 38.10% in 2018 to 22.73% in 2021. Further, receipt of spine surgery post-injury was more common in 2018 (95.24% vs. 72.73% in 2021) and IRF LOS was shorter in 2018 (16.90 vs. 22.36 days in 2021). Though clinically important, these differences were not statistically significant in this small sample.

Conclusions: This pre/during pandemic comparison of IRF patients admitted for SCI rehabilitation demonstrated differences in etiology, acute management, and discharge characteristics, although not of statistical significance. There was a generally lower-than-anticipated incidence of traumatic SCI admitted to the IRF. The lack of statistical significance in this pilot may be related to the small sample size, and thus, assessment of a larger cohort is a worthy focus of future analysis.