Management of spinal cord injury in the critical care setting

Every year, approximately 12,000 Americans sustain a traumatic spinal cord injury. Most of them survive with good medical care; it is estimated that 17,000 victims of spinal cord injury live in the United States. This article is intended to review the acute and chronic medical management of spinal cord injury. We will focus on the neurologic, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastroenterologic, and genitourinary complications of spinal cord injury and their management, and will then discuss experimental therapies designed to minimize the effects of this devastating injury.