Palmer K T
N Z Med J. 1984 Aug 8;97(761):525-7.
Twenty-five elderly paraplegic patients admitted to a geriatric unit over a seven year period were studied, the sex ratio favouring females. There were 15 different causes for the paraplegia and only five patients had malignancy, which was lower than predicted. Six patients died, of whom three had malignancy; two of the deceased were tetraplegic. Fourteen patients were discharged home, including nine females. Dependency at death or discharge showed that 15 were wheelchair dependent and nine were catheterised. Pain relief was a problem in patients with malignancy and in the presence of paraesthesiae and spasms. Depression occurred in all patients for a variable length of time, a few needing antidepressant therapy. Discharging the patients required an intensive evaluation of patient abilities and available environment, and included the use of many community resources.
对7年期间入住老年病房的25例老年截瘫患者进行了研究，性别比有利于女性。截瘫有15种不同病因，仅有5例患者患有恶性肿瘤，低于预期。6例患者死亡，其中3例患有恶性肿瘤；2例死者为四肢瘫痪。14例患者出院回家，其中包括9名女性。死亡或出院时的依赖情况表明，15例依赖轮椅，9例需要导尿。恶性肿瘤患者以及存在感觉异常和痉挛的患者存在疼痛缓解问题。所有患者均在不同时间段出现抑郁，少数患者需要抗抑郁治疗。让患者出院需要对患者能力和可用环境进行深入评估，包括利用许多社区资源。
