Acute management of the patient with spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injuries are not as common as many other types of injuries. The victims are often young, the injury debilitating, and the effects devastating and incalculable. The acute management of patients with spinal cord injury can significantly affect the patient's eventual neurologic and functional outcome and ultimately their quality of life. Early interventions are aimed at reestablishing physiologic homeostasis, lessening the amount of secondary injury, and preserving neurologic function.