Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Banner University of Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, Tucson, Arizona.
Neurosurgery. 2019 Sep 1;85(3):E502-E508. doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyz050.
The border between the United States (US) and Mexico is an international boundary spanning 3000 km, where unauthorized crossings occur regularly. We examine patterns of neurotrauma, health care utilization, and financial costs at our level 1 trauma center incurred by patients from wall-jumping into the US.
To determine the clinical and socioeconomic consequences from neurotrauma as a result of jumping over the US-Mexico border wall.
Medical records of patients at (Banner University of Arizona Medical Center - Tucson) were retrospectively reviewed from January 2012 through December 2017. Demographics, clinical status, radiographic findings, treatment, length of stay, and financial data were analyzed for all patients suffering neurotrauma during that time.
Over 6 yr, 64 patients sustained cranial or spinal injuries directly from jumping or falling onto US soil from the border wall. Fifty (78%) suffered spinal injuries, 15 (23%) experienced cranial injury, and 1 patient had both. Total medical charges were available in 36 patients and summed $3.6 M, of which 22% was reimbursed, an amount significantly lower than expected from more conventional trauma. Neurotrauma steadily declined over the 6-yr observation period, dropping in 2017 to 6% of rates observed in 2012.
In the Southern US, neurotrauma from unauthorized border crossings occurs commonly as a result of wall-jumping. These injuries represent a clinical and costly extreme of border-related trauma, and future efforts from both sides of the border wall are needed to decrease the detrimental impacts felt both by immigrants and surrounding health care systems.
美国（US）和墨西哥之间的边境是一条长 3000 公里的国际边界，经常发生未经授权的越境事件。我们检查了我们的一级创伤中心的神经创伤、医疗保健利用和财务成本模式，这些成本是由从边境墙跳入美国的患者产生的。
确定因越过美墨边境墙而导致神经创伤的临床和社会经济后果。
回顾性分析了 2012 年 1 月至 2017 年 12 月期间（亚利桑那大学Banner 医疗中心-图森）患者的病历。对所有在此期间因神经创伤而遭受创伤的患者进行了人口统计学、临床状况、影像学发现、治疗、住院时间和财务数据的分析。
在 6 年期间，64 名患者因从边境墙跳入或坠落至美国土地而直接遭受颅或脊柱损伤。50 名（78%）患者患有脊柱损伤，15 名（23%）患者患有颅脑损伤，1 名患者同时患有这两种损伤。36 名患者的总医疗费用为 3600 万美元，其中 22%得到了报销，这一金额明显低于更传统创伤的预期报销金额。在 6 年的观察期内，神经创伤的发生率稳步下降，2017 年下降至 2012 年观察到的发生率的 6%。
在美国南部，由于翻墙，未经授权的边境过境导致的神经创伤很常见。这些损伤代表了与边境有关的创伤的临床和代价高昂的极端情况，需要边境两侧共同努力，减少移民和周围医疗保健系统所感受到的不利影响。
