International multi-professional expert consensus was sought to develop best practice recommendations for clinical management of patients following cervical spinal cord injury with oropharyngeal dysphagia and associated complications. Additionally, risk factors for dysphagia were identified to support the development of a screening tool.
A two-round Delphi study was undertaken with a 27-member panel of expert professionals in cervical spinal cord injury and complex dysphagia. They rated 85 statements across seven topic areas in round one, using a five-point Likert scale with a consensus set at 70%. Statements not achieving consensus were revised for the second round. Comparative group and individual feedback were provided at the end of each round.
Consensus was achieved for 50 (59%) statements in round one and a further 12 (48%) statements in round two. Recommendations for best practice were agreed for management of swallowing, respiratory function, communication, nutrition and oral care. Twelve risk factors for dysphagia were identified for components of a screening tool.
Best practice recommendations support wider clinical management to prevent complications and direct specialist care. Screening for risk factors allows early dysphagia identification with the potential to improve clinical outcomes. Further evaluation of the impact of these recommendations is needed.Implications for RehabilitationDysphagia is an added complication following cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) affecting morbidity, mortality and quality of life.Early identification of dysphagia risk allows focused interventions that reduce associated nutritional and respiratory impairments.Best practice recommendations based on expert consensus provide a baseline of appropriate interventions, in the absence of empirical evidence.A multi-professional approach to rehabilitation encourages a consistent and coordinated approach to care across acute and rehabilitation settings.

Several guidelines on the evaluation of patients with suspected cervical spine trauma in the Emergency Department (ED) exist. High heterogeneity between different guidelines has been reported. Aim of this study was to find areas of agreement and disagreement between guidelines, to identify topics in which further research is needed and to provide an evidence-based cervical spine trauma algorithm for ED physicians. The three most relevant guidelines published on cervical spine trauma in the last 10 years were selected screening websites of the main scientific societies and through the comparison of a normalized Google Scholar and SCOPUS citation index. We compared the selected guidelines through seven a-priori defined questions. In case of disagreement between the guidelines or if the quality of evidence appeared low, evidence from published systematic reviews on the topic was added to build an evidence-based algorithm for approach to spinal trauma in the ED. The three selected guidelines were: NICE 2016, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma 2009 and American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons 2013. We found complete agreement on one question, partial agreement for one questions, no agreement for two questions, while agreement was not assessable for 3 questions. The agreement between different guidelines and the evidence on which recommendations are based is low. An attempt to build an evidence-based algorithm has been made. More studies are needed on many topics.

The objective of this scoping review was to explore the existing literature related to preventative interventions, protocols or guidelines for trauma patients at risk of cervical collar-related pressure ulcers to examine and conceptually map the evidence, and to identify any gaps in the literature.
Cervical collars are necessary to stabilize cervical spine injuries in trauma patients; however, pressure ulcers are a major complication of prolonged cervical collar use. The longer a patient wears a cervical collar, the more likely the patient will develop a pressure ulcer that will worsen as wear time increases.
This review considered both experimental and quasi-experimental study designs, analytical observational studies, case-control studies, analytical cross-sectional studies, descriptive observational studies, qualitative studies, and text and opinion papers. Trauma patients of all ages who presented to the emergency department or intensive care unit with an extrication or field collar in place were included in this study. Extrication collars included but were not limited to Stifneck, Philadelphia and Miami J.
The JBI scoping review methodology was used for this review. The database searches included MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, NHS Research Register, National Institute of Health Clinical Trial Databases, Cochrane Database of Sytematic Reviews, MedNar, WorldWideScience, PsycEXTRA, OAIster, OpenGrey, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. The data were extracted using a charting table, which was developed to record key information from sources relevant to the review questions. The findings were descriptively presented, with tables and figures to support the data, when appropriate. Only studies in English from 1965 to December 2018 were included.
Preventative interventions found in the seven studies included in the review were: removal of the extrication collar, cervical spine clearance, nursing education, routine nursing care, use of products such as air mattresses, and a multidisciplinary approach to care. Additionally, six of the seven studies identified 28 risk factors associated with the development of cervical collar-related pressure ulcers. Two studies reported elimination of cervical collar-related pressure ulcers while three studies reported reduced incidence in cervical collar-related pressure ulcers. Another study reported a reduction in cervical collar wear time from 14 days to 7.7 days.
Protocols with a multidisciplinary approach are available in the literature to serve as guidance for proper treatment and care of trauma patients\' wearing of cervical collars. Standardized cervical collar protocols should highlight the importance of early identification of trauma patients who may be at risk. Risk factors identified in this review should be assessed and addressed to halt cervical collar-related pressure ulcers from ever developing in trauma patients who are immediately identified as at risk. Preventative interventions identified in the protocols in this scoping review can be used to create a standardized approach to care for patients in cervical collars.

UNASSIGNED: The objective of this review is to explore the existing literature related to preventative interventions, protocols or guidelines for trauma patients at risk for cervical collar-related pressure ulcers, examine and conceptually map the evidence, and identify any gaps in the literature.Specifically the review questions are.

Acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating worldwide disease with an estimated annual incidence of 10 to 83 affected individuals per million inhabitants. These injuries typically impact younger individuals and reduce quality-adjusted life years with estimated lifetime costs exceeding $4 million per person. Hence it is critical to establish and refine clear practice guidelines for acute management of SCI. In 2013 the Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) released a revision of the 2002 guidelines for Cervical SCI. In the present report we explore seven subsections for management of specific cervical injury types, review key supporting literature, and provide an update on recent studies since the publication of the 2013 guidelines. Our review finds a paucity of Level I and Level II treatment recommendations for cervical spine injuries, with the exception of subaxial cervical spine injury classification and surgical management for Type II odontoid fractures in the elderly. We recommend the systematic implementation of large randomized controlled studies across diverse demographics and ethnicities, injury mechanisms and morphologies to address pressing limitations in the current literature. The cohesive effort to adopt the 2013 AANS/CNS Guidelines and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Common Data Elements for SCI as part of a multicenter international approach will enable reproducible data collection and robust analyses toward achieving this goal.