The Impact of Prehospital Spinal Immobilization in Patients with Penetrating Spinal Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Penetrating injuries, such as gunshot or stab wounds, may cause spinal cord injuries and require prehospital immobilization (PHSI) to stabilize the spine. However, use of PHSI in penetrating remains controversial. This systematic review aimed investigate efficacy patients with trauma. We systematically searched Google Scholar, Medline (PubMed), The Cochrane Central Register Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE between January 2000 July 2021. All studies English that assessed (>16 years) were included. Quality risk bias assessments performed using modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A narrative synthesis a meta-analysis was conducted. Our search identified 928 but only 6 met our inclusion exclusion criteria. included conducted US number ranged from 156–75,567 over 3–9 study years. majority wounds. Three demonstrated an increased mortality collars whilst remaining three failed show any benefits remained unproven. retrospective some risks bias. highlights evidence literature on trauma outweigh its benefits; thus, is discouraged further high-quality research necessary reach definitive conclusions possibly identify suitable alternatives for