Spine surgeon traumatic spinal cord injury–related practice differences based on specialty.
| Practice Regarding Spinal Cord Injuries | Total (%) | Specialty | P Value | |||
| Neurosurgery | Orthopedics | |||||
| n | % | n | % | |||
| Use of steroid | 0.506 | |||||
| I never give steroids | 43 (43.9%) | 27 | 45.0% | 16 | 42.1% | |
| I give if injury is less than 8 h | 23 (23.5%) | 13 | 21.7% | 10 | 26.3% | |
| I give if injury is less than 24 h | 21 (21.4%) | 15 | 25.0% | 6 | 15.8% | |
| I give regardless of time of the injury | 11 (11.2%) | 5 | 8.3% | 6 | 15.8% | |
| Duration of steroid treatment | 0.422 | |||||
| 1 dose | 7 (12.7%) | 3 | 9.1% | 4 | 18.2% | |
| Up to 12 h | 1 (1.8%) | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 4.5% | |
| Up to 24 h | 24 (43.6%) | 16 | 48.5% | 8 | 36.4% | |
| Up to 48 h | 23 (41.8%) | 14 | 42.4% | 9 | 40.9% | |
| Steroid drug used | 0.500 | |||||
| Dexamethasone | 22 (40%) | 12 | 36.4% | 10 | 45.5% | |
| Methylprednisolone sodium succinate | 33 (60%) | 21 | 63.6% | 12 | 54.5% | |
| Admission to high-dependency unit | 0.417 | |||||
| All cases | 34 (34.7%) | 23 | 38.3% | 11 | 28.9% | |
| Only cervical cord injury | 40 (40.8%) | 24 | 40.0% | 16 | 42.1% | |
| Depends on availability of beds | 16 (16.3%) | 10 | 16.7% | 6 | 15.8% | |
| None | 8 (8.2%) | 3 | 5.0% | 5 | 13.2% | |
| Maintenance of the mean arterial pressure in a certain range | 0.029a | |||||
| Yes | 78 (79.6%) | 52 | 86.7% | 26 | 68.4% | |
| No | 20 (20.4%) | 8 | 13.3% | 12 | 31.6% | |
| Early spinal cord decompression | 0.349 | |||||
| I always do decompression in less than 24 h of the injury | 58 (59.2%) | 33 | 55.0% | 25 | 65.8% | |
| I believe in early decompression, but the facility does not allow this practice | 16 (16.3%) | 13 | 21.7% | 3 | 7.9% | |
| Whenever operating room time is available | 15 (15.3%) | 9 | 15.0% | 6 | 15.8% | |
| I don’t believe that early decompression adds a neurological benefit | 9 (9.2%) | 5 | 8.3% | 4 | 10.5% | |
↵a P < 0.05 (significant).