Table 2.
Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics at hospital admission for individuals with tetraplegia and paraplegia (N=88).
| Tetraplegia | Paraplegia | |
|---|---|---|
| Characteristics | N=43 | N=45 |
| ASIA grade | ||
| AIS-A,B | 65,1% | 82.2% |
| AIS-C,D | 34.9% | 17.8% |
| Neurologic level | ||
| High tetraplegia (C1-C4) | 39.5% | — |
| Low tetraplegia (C5-T1) | 60.5% | — |
| High paraplegia (T2-T7) | – | 22.2% |
| Low paraplegia (T8-L1) | – | 77.8% |
| ASIA motor score (mean +/-SD) | 38.1 (30.1) | 59.0 (16.7) |
| Age (mean +/-SD) | 44.3 (17.2) | 40.0 (15.6) |
| Sex (% Male) | 74.4% | 86.7% |
| ISS (mean +/-SD) | 25.7 (14.1) | 27.2 (7.7) |
| BMI (mean +/-SD) | 27.4 (10.2) | 25.5 (4.0) |
| Presence of TBI | 53.5% | 37.8% |
| Presence of moderate or severe TBI | 2.3% | 6.7% |
| Early surgery (<24h post-trauma) | 97.7% | 97.8% |
| Acute care LOS (in days) (mean +/-SD) | 32.7 (26.0) | 27.9 (16.8) |
| Presence of medical complications | 58.5% | 40.0% |
| Pneumonia | 37.2% | 20.0% |
| Urinary tract infection | 23.3% | 15.6% |
| Pressure ulcer | 30.2% | 20.0% |
| Presence of multiple complications | 23.3% | 15.6% |
| Presence of early spasticity | 74.4% | 48.9% |
| Smoking status (% active smoker) | 25.6% | 31.1% |
| High-velocity trauma mechanism | 41.9% | 33.3% |
ISS, injury severity score; BMI, body mass index; TBI, traumatic brain injury; LOS, length of stay.