Table 5.
Baseline Characteristics Among the Propensity-Matched Subgroup of Patients With Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries Admitted to Specialized (n = 326) or Non-Specialized Care (n = 326) With Age Less than 65 and Injury Severity Scores of 16 or Greater
| Variable | Specialized care n = 326 | Non-specialized care, n = 326 | p | Standard difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age: mean (SD) | 44.2 (13.8) | 45.4 (12.8) | 0.39 | 0.09 |
| Sex: male (%) | 246 (76%) | 263 (81%) | 0.10 | - |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index: mean (SD) | 0.2 (0.7) | 0.2 (0.7) | 0.40 | 0.03 |
| Injury Severity Score: mean (SD) | 22.6 (10.3) | 22.3 (10.1) | 0.20 | 0.03 |
| 9–16 (%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | ||
| 16–24 (%) | 242 (74%) | 230 (70%) | ||
| 25–34 (%) | 44 (14%) | 64 (20%) | ||
| 35 or greater (%) | 40 (12%) | 32 (10%) | ||
| Surgery: yes (%) | 215 (66%) | 152 (47%) | <0.01 | - |
| Traumatic Brain Injury: (%) | 64 (20%) | 71 (22%) | 0.50 | - |
| Injury level: | 0.49 | - | ||
| Cervical (%) | 238 (73%) | 256 (79%) | ||
| Thoracic (%) | 42 (13%) | 31 (10%) | ||
| Lumbar (%) | 37 (11%) | 30 (9%) | ||
| Sacral/Cauda Equina (%) | 8 (3%) | 7 (2%) | ||
| Missing/Unknown | - | - | ||
| Transferred from another hospital (%) | 20 (6%) | 23 (7%) | 0.64 | - |
| Time from injury to admission | 0.32 | - | ||
| 24 h or less | 263 (81%) | 254 (78%) | ||
| 25–72 h | 30 (9%) | 42 (13%) | ||
| Greater than 72 h | 33 (10%) | 30 (9%) |
SD, standard deviation.