Nursing Care of a Patient with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Without Fracture and Dislocation: A Case Report

Abstract

Cervical spinal cord injury without fracture and dislocation (CSCIWFD) is a severe disabling injury with acute illness, slow recovery, and many complications that significantly increase patients’ pain and the difficulty of disease management. We introduce the nursing care of a 52-year-old man with multiple complications of CSCIWFD caused by a car accident. Nursing mainly focused on posture and safety, nutritional support, respiratory management, limb function training, medication, psychological nursing, and actively preventing and managing complications such as central fever, obstinate hyponatremia, klebsiella pneumoniae infection, venous thrombosis, and pressure ulcers, among others. The nurses closely observed the patient's condition, strictly managed his 24-hour access volume, and regularly evaluated his treatment and nursing effects. In addition to superior treatment and nursing, we should invite multidisciplinary cooperation for diagnosis and treatment and encourage family members to participate in disease management, which improves patient’s later functional recovery and his quality of life. After 53 days of hospitalization, the patient’s condition gradually stabilized, he and his family members were satisfied with the treatment and nursing results, and he was transferred to another hospital for rehabilitation. The prognosis of patients with CSCIWFD is closely related to the quality of nursing. Personalized comprehensive care is of great significance to reduce and timely control complications and promote patients' recovery.