Spinal Cord Injury
Motor Vehicle Accidents
What is the most common cause of a traumatic spinal cord injury?
Sudden headache, elevated blood pressure, flushed face and diaphoresis.
What are the signs and symptoms of Autonomic Dysreflexia?
Happens in the acute phase of the spinal cord injury which produces swelling, hypotension and ileus.
What is spinal shock?
A condition where nerve damage disrupts the normal communication between the brain, spinal cord, and the muscles that control bladder storage and emptying
What is neurogenic bladder?
May have partial preservation of sensory and/ or motor function below the level of injury, which means that there may be some feeling, function, and muscle control below the level of injury.
What is an incomplete spinal cord injury?
For this type of spinal cord injury, suppositories and digital stimulation are used for the bowel program.
What is upper motor neuron SCI (Reflexic bowel)?
Full bladder
What is the most common cause of an SCI patient to experience Autonomic Dysreflexia?
This may cause your patients heart rate to increase, experience chest pain and feel a sense of doom.
What is a pulmonary embolism?
Fever, chills, cloudy urine, increased spasms, incontinence between catheterizations
What are the signs and symptoms of a UTI?
Loss of motor and/ or sensory of all 4 extremities
This a loss of normal bowel control and function caused by damage to the nerves that connect your brain and spinal cord to your digestive tract.
What is neurogenic bowel?
T6 and above spinal cord injury
At what SCI level is a patient more at risk for autonomic dysrelfexia?
This caused you patient to pass out when transferring out of bed first thing in the morning.
What is orthostatic hypotension?
Draining the bladder on a regular schedule using a thin, flexible tube.
What is intermittent catheterization?
T12
What level determines if a spinal cord injury patient is upper motor neuron versus lower motor neuron?
Continent if bowel movement is produced within 90 minutes with no incontinence in between.
What is a regulated bowel program?
Sit upright, take blood pressure, find the cause
What are the first interventions you do when you suspect an SCI patient is experiencing autonomic dysreflexia?
Your C4 spinal cord injury patient may need you to do this in order to help them produce a good cough.
What is cough assist?
A flexible tube placed through a small incision in the lower abdomen that goes directly into the bladder to drain urine.
What is a suprapubic catheter?
T1
For this type of spinal cord injury, manual removal is used to perform the bowel program.
What is lower motor neuron SCI (areflexic bowel)?
Systolic BP 20-40mmHg above baseline while experiencing piloerection.
What is considered a systolic BP to suspect an SCI patient is experiencing AD?
Turning patient every 2 hours, doing pressure breaks in the wheelchair every 30 minutes, offloading heels, and providing patient education.
What is pressure injury prevention?
Every 4-6 hours
What is the timeframe that someone with an SCI catheterize?