Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug;49(8):2239-2245.
doi: 10.1002/wjs.12685. Epub 2025 Jun 26.

Selective Conservatism in the Management of Spinal Stab Wounds Remains Applicable-A Critical Review of 169 Patients Managed at a Major Trauma Center in South Africa

Reuben He  1 , Victor Kong  1 , Cynthia Cheung  2 , Jonathan Ko  1 , Daniel Lee  1 , Joshua Ahn  1 , Shuba Kosna  3 , William Yeung  1 , Hong Lee  4 , Howard Wain  5 , Wanda Bekker  5 , Damian Clarke  2   5
Affiliations

Selective Conservatism in the Management of Spinal Stab Wounds Remains Applicable-A Critical Review of 169 Patients Managed at a Major Trauma Center in South Africa

Reuben He et al. World J Surg. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Spinal stab wounds (SW) are relatively uncommon and can be both morbid and fatal. The exact role of surgery remains somewhat unclear. This study reviews our institutional experience of spinal SW management and examines the clinical outcome of these patients in a developing world setting.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted over a 10-year study period from December 2012-December 2022 at a major trauma center in South Africa. All patients who sustained spinal SW were included.

Results: One hundred sixty-nine patients with spinal SW were included (male: 87%, mean age: 28 years, median Injury Severity Score [ISS]: 9). AIS classifications: E (51%), C (18%), A (14%), D (12%), B (4%). Nearly all patients (95%) underwent CT scan and 81% had an MRI. 72% had bony injury and 60% had spinal cord injury. Five percent of all patients underwent surgical intervention. Overall, 5% of patients required intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 9% had one or more complications. Common complications were hospital acquired pneumonia and pressure sores. The overall in hospital mortality rate was 1% (2/169). Of the 167 patients who survived to hospital discharge, 88% were discharged to spinal rehabilitation centers and the remaining patients were discharged home.

Conclusions: Our study supports a conservative management in select SW patients, especially in the absence of progressive neurological deficits or spinal instability. Non-operative management aligns well with resource-constrained public healthcare facilities in our environment. Further research should aim to develop context-specific guidelines to refine surgical decision-making and improve outcomes across varied healthcare settings.

Keywords: orthopedic surgery; spine; trauma surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Trend in number of spinal SW per year over study period. SW, stab wound.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Management algorithm for spinal SW patients. AIS, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale; CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; SW, stab wound.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Mitra A., Okafor U. B., Kaswa R., and Adeniyi O. V., “Epidemiology of Interpersonal Violence at a Regional Hospital Emergency Unit in the Eastern Cape, South Africa,” South African Family Practice 64, no. 1 (2022): e1–e5, 10.4102/safp.v64i1.5511. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Uchino H., Kong V. Y., Pantelides A., et al., “The Scourge of Knife Crime: Trends in Knife‐Related Assault Managed at a Major Centre in South Africa,” South African Journal of Surgery 58, no. 3 (2020): 150–153, 10.17159/2078-5151/2020/v58n3a3251. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fehlings M., Singh A., Tetreault L., Kalsi‐Ryan S., and Nouri A., “Global Prevalence and Incidence of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury,” Clinical Epidemiology 6 (2014): 309–331, 10.2147/clep.s68889. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alves M. A., Pilusa S., and Mashola M. K., “The Prevalence and Profile of Spinal Cord Injury in Public Healthcare Rehabilitation Units in Gauteng, South Africa,” Spinal Cord Series and Cases 9, no. 1 (2023): 15, 10.1038/s41394-023-00571-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Smith C. and White J. B., “Penetrating Knife Injuries to the Spine: Management Considerations and Literature Review,” Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery 1, no. 1 (2014): 3–4, 10.1016/j.inat.2014.01.001. - DOI