Table 1

Baseline characteristics of multitrauma patients without neurologic injuries undergoing stabilization of spine fractures in different quartiles of surgical delay

CharacteristicSurgical delayp value
≤ 24 h> 24 h to < 72 h≥ 72 h to ≤ 7 d> 7 d
No. patients23231918
Age, mean (SD) yr38.1 (17.2)41.6 (14.3)35.6 (18.2)42.6 (18.8)0.56
Fracture location, no. (%)0.18
 Cervical5 (21.7)11 (47.8)5 (26.3)8 (44.4)
 Thoracolumbar18 (78.3)12 (52.2)14 (73.7)10 (55.6)
Male sex, no. (%)17 (73.9)17 (73.9)14 (73.6)12 (66.7)0.95
Test, mean (SD) score
 ISS27.3 (13.1)29.1 (11.4)25.2 (12.4)26.2 (11.2)0.74
 Max AIS11.7 (1.7)1.2 (1.7)1.0 (1.5)1.1 (1.5)0.43
 Max AIS21.3 (1.7)1.6 (1.9)1.0 (1.2)1.5 (1.8)0.71
 Max AIS30.3 (1.0)0.5 (1.3)0.5 (1.2)0.2 (0.7)0.77
 Max AIS41.6 (1.5)1.5 (1.6)1.4 (1.6)1.1 (1.7)0.77
 Max AIS53.3 (1.3)3.7 (0.7)3.8 (0.5)3.7 (0.5)0.16
 Max AIS60.3 (0.5)0.6 (0.7)0.15 (0.4)*0.5 (0.5)0.042
 Max severity AIS3.9 (0.7)4.1 (0.5)3.8 (0.6)3.9 (0.4)0.43
No comorbidity, no. (%)13 (56.2)15 (65.2)16 (84.2)13 (72.2)0.16
CDC, no. (%)
 12 (8.7)0 (0)1 (5.3)1 (5.6)
 20 (0)1 (4.3)0 (0)0 (0)0.68
GCS
 Mean (SD)14.8 (0.4)13.6 (2.9)13.1 (3.714.8 (0.7)0.08
 15, no. (%)17 (81.0)14 (73.7)13 (76.5)14 (87.5)0.64
Mechanical ventilation, no. (%)2 (8.7)4 (17.4)2 (10.5)2 (11.1)0.82
  • AIS = Abbreviated Injury Score; CDC = Charlson–Deyo Comorbidity; GCS = Glasgow Coma Scale; ISS = injury severity score; SD = standard deviation.

  • * ≥ 72 h to ≤ 7 days significantly different compared with ≤ 24 h, > 24 h to < 72 h, and > 7 days.