Factors contributing to the increased threat to life following spinal cord injury.

An analysis of the mortality rate of 3486 spinal injured patients treated in the early posttraumatic period in the years 1965-1989 in Konstancin, Poland is presented. The data show that the life of the spinal cord injured is threatened by several factors, the most important of which appear to be: the level and degree of the spinal cord lesion; certain causes of injury predisposing to severe nervous system injury; advanced age; and to some extent, concomitant injuries and methods of treatment. The significance of age is demonstrated by a nearly tenfold increase in mortality in the oldest age group of patients with complete spinal cord lesions as compared to the youngest age group of up to 20 years with the same degree of spinal cord damage.