Survival in traumatic transverse myelitis

Abstract

Spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia or tetraplegia has from time immemorial led to early death. Mortality figures as high as 80% over a few years have been noted. Following World War II as a consequence of the intensive care extended to these casualties, the mortality has been significantly diminished. The mortality has been studied on three occasions by the authors and two previous papers have been published, the first in 1961 and the second in 1968. The present paper is based on a mortality and longevity study which covers the period from 1 January 1945 to 30 November 1973, an interval of 29 years less one month. It deals with the mortality of spinal cord injured persons following treatment in Lyndhurst Lodge Hospital and reveals that there has been significant improvement over the period of study.