Patient’S Health Problems After Injury-Related Damage of Cervical Spine

In the following review there is described the case of 36-year-old patient with trauma-related fracture of cervical spine followed by tetraparesis resulting from compression and ischaemia foci of cervical spinal cord. On the basis of medical record’s analysis as well as on observation made by authors, the model of nursing process adjusted to patient’s needs is described in this article. In the course of hospitalization the typical complications were observed: respiratory tract infections, bedsores, water-electrolyte imbalances, arrhythmias, emotional disturbances resulting not only from injury but also, with high probability, as aftermath of post-traumatic stress. Material and methods. This paper discusses the case of a patient who was hospitalized at the University Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Hospital due to cervical spine and spinal cord injury. Method - a case study. Medical documentation was analyzed, including Intensive Care Unit (ICU) information cards and doctor and nurse reports. The purpose of this work was to assess the impact of cervical spine injury on nursing problems with a patient admitted to ICU under life-threatening conditions. Summary. This paper discusses the case of a 36-year-old patient with a broken cervical spine and a tetraplegia resulting from pressure and foci of ischemia in the cervical spine region. This article presents a nursing model, accounting for the problems specific to this patient, that is based on the analysis of medical documentation and observation. During hospitalization typical complications were observed - infections of the respiratory system, bedsores, electrolyte disruption, disruption of the electrical activity of the heart, emotional disturbance resulting from the injury, but also likely being post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in nature.