Initial management of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries.

What are the initial steps you take when a patient presents with a traumatic spinal cord injury? Trauma patients are worked up in the emergency department through the general surgery trauma team in conjunction with the orthopedic trauma team. Initial management is done under the guidelines of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol, where we recognize and manage potential vital threats immediately and stabilize the patient. Evaluation for spinal injury occurs in the secondary survey once the patient is hemodynamically stable.