None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The SPinal Emergency Evaluation of Deficits (SPEED) has been developed to determine whether a brief and simple neurological assessment tool can rapidly determine the severity and level of cervical spinal cord injury. The primary purpose of this study is to prospectively validate this assessment tool in cohort of patients with suspected cervical spinal cord injury. SPEED will be undertaken within 2 hours of injury and will be correlated with neurological assessments performed during the acute hospital admission and at 6 months post-injury. The hypothesis of this study is that an acute neurological assessment (SPEED) performed by paramedics within 2 hours of injury can accurately determine the severity and level of spinal cord injury prior to surgery or within 24 hrs post-injury.
Interventions
The SPEED (SPinal Emergency Evaluation of Deficits) has been developed to determine whether a simple assessment of neurological function can rapidly determine the level and severity of cervical SCI. This assessment involves paramedics evaluating the participants' foot motor and sensory function (ability to feel light touch at the base of the heel) to indicate the severity of injury. C3 sensation will be assessed by light touch at the jugular notch, bilateral hand grip strength and spinal pain le
The SPEED (SPinal Emergency Evaluation of Deficits) has been developed to determine whether a simple assessment of neurological function can rapidly determine the level and severity of cervical SCI. This assessment involves paramedics evaluating the participants' foot motor and sensory function (ability to feel light touch at the base of the heel) to indicate the severity of injury. C3 sensation will be assessed by light touch at the jugular notch, bilateral hand grip strength and spinal pain level will also be assessed to indicate whether injury is in the high cervical, low and mid cervical or thoracic regions. The assessment procedure is expected to take 2 minutes. This project will apply the SPEED assessment to a prospective cohort of patients with suspected cervical SCI to validate this assessment tool.
Sponsors
The University of Melbourne
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Primary purpose
Diagnosis
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
15 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Assessed by paramedics within 2 hours of injury. Suspected vertebral column injury (any level) with neurological deficits* due to possible SCI. Admitted to participating hospitals within 24 hours post-injury. *Neurological deficits defined as: any weakness, paralysis or change in sensation of one or more limbs reported by participant or found on examination.
Exclusion criteria
Unable to follow commands due to significant head injury, drug or alcohol intoxication, mental or hearing impairment. GCS < 13. Suspected multiple traumatic injuries (defined as likely trauma to at least one other major organ, more than two long bone fractures, significant abdominal bleeding and head injury). Immediate intubation needed. Cardiac arrest at scene. Known or obvious pregnancy. Pre-injury major neurological deficits (e.g. stroke, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease).
Outcome results
None listed