Table 1. Comparison of sociodemographic, psychosocial, injury, and facility covariates between the populations of patients with traumatic cervicothoracic fracture with SCI by treatment group.
| Characteristic | No Surgery, n=2,518 (37.8%) | Surgery, n=4,137 (62.2%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | <0.001* | ||
| 16–25 | 407 (16.2) | 776 (18.8) | |
| 26-45 | 483 (19.2) | 1,081 (26.1) | |
| 46–65 | 750 (29.8) | 1,349 (32.6) | |
| 66–75 | 331 (13.1) | 513 (12.4) | |
| >75 | 547 (21.7) | 418 (10.1) | |
| Gender, male | 1,779 (70.7) | 3,090 (74.7) | <0.001* |
| Race | <0.001* | ||
| White | 1,853 (73.6) | 3,237 (78.2) | |
| Hispanic | 267 (10.6) | 380 (9.2) | |
| Black | 398 (15.8) | 520 (12.6) | |
| Insurance status | <0.001* | ||
| Private | 996 (39.6) | 2,176 (52.6) | |
| Medicare | 811 (32.2) | 947 (22.9) | |
| Medicaid | 368 (14.6) | 542 (13.1) | |
| Uninsured | 343 (13.6) | 472 (11.4) | |
| Major psychiatric disorder | 196 (7.8) | 362 (8.8) | 0.168 |
| Alcoholism | 290 (11.5) | 513 (12.4) | 0.283 |
| Other substance abuse | 207 (8.2) | 334 (8.1) | 0.831 |
| Urine drug screen | 0.007* | ||
| Negative | 437 (17.4) | 849 (20.5) | |
| Illegal drug | 293 (11.6) | 487 (11.8) | |
| Prescription drug | 149 (5.9) | 232 (5.6) | |
| Illegal + Rx drug | 42 (1.7) | 92 (2.2) | |
| Not tested/reported | 1,597 (63.4) | 2,477 (59.9) | |
| Blood alcohol level | <0.001* | ||
| Above legal limit | 950 (37.7) | 1,639 (39.6) | |
| Trace detected | 144 (5.7) | 241 (5.8) | |
| Tested negative | 351 (13.9) | 766 (18.5) | |
| Untested/unreported | 1,073 (42.6) | 1,491 (36.0) | |
| Intent of injury | <0.001* | ||
| Unintentional | 2,186 (86.8) | 4,012 (97.0) | |
| Assault | 316 (12.5) | 104 (2.5) | |
| Self-inflicted | 16 (0.6) | 21 (0.5) | |
| Mechanism of injury | <0.001* | ||
| Motor vehicle driver/occupant | 771 (30.6) | 1,533 (37.1) | |
| Pedestrian | 47 (1.9) | 65 (1.6) | |
| Other transportation | 203 (8.1) | 429 (10.4) | |
| Fall | 1,082 (43.0) | 1,821 (44.0) | |
| Struck by/against | 87 (3.5) | 193 (4.7) | |
| Other/unclassified | 328 (13.0) | 96 (2.3) | |
| Injury type | <0.001* | ||
| Blunt | 2,201 (87.4) | 4,059 (98.1) | |
| Penetrating | 317 (12.6) | 78 (1.9) | |
| Fracture location | <0.001* | ||
| Cervical | 1,418 (56.3) | 2,622 (63.4) | |
| Thoracic | 776 (30.8) | 991 (24.0) | |
| Cervicothoracic | 324 (12.9) | 524 (12.7) | |
| Injury Severity Score | <0.001* | ||
| Minor [1–8] | 155 (6.2) | 60 (1.5) | |
| Moderate [9–15] | 934 (37.1) | 1,105 (26.7) | |
| Severe [16–26] | 1,429 (56.8) | 2,972 (71.8) | |
| GCS total in ED | <0.001* | ||
| 12–15 | 2,167 (86.1) | 3,765 (91.0) | |
| 9–11 | 74 (2.9) | 97 (2.3) | |
| 3–8 | 277 (11.0) | 275 (6.6) | |
| Transfer, yes | 895 (35.5) | 1,566 (37.9) | 0.058 |
| Hospital teaching status | 0.898 | ||
| University | 1,634 (64.9) | 2,691 (65.0) | |
| Community | 884 (35.1) | 1,446 (35.0) | |
| Hospital type, for-profit | 192 (7.6) | 395 (9.5) | 0.007* |
| Hospital region | <0.001* | ||
| Midwest | 731 (29.0) | 1,212 (29.3) | |
| Northeast | 368 (14.6) | 503 (12.2) | |
| South | 789 (31.3) | 1,485 (35.9) | |
| West | 630 (25.0) | 937 (22.6) | |
| ACS trauma level | 0.053 | ||
| I | 1,808 (71.8) | 3,060 (74.0) | |
| II | 710 (28.2) | 1,077 (26.0) |
All comparisons made using Pearson’s χ2 test. Values presented as n. *, significant values (P<0.05). SCI, spinal cord injury; ACS, American College of Surgeons.