What is an upper cervical spine injury?Why is it scary?Because it is the most likely to cause death, and the process is almost irreversible. Today we will unveil its horror together.
Upper cervical spine injuries mainly include anterior and posterior arch fractures of the atlas vertebrae, atlantoaxial dislocation, odontoid process fractures, and axial vertebral arch fractures.
Anterior and posterior arch fractures of the atlas vertebrae: the fracture fragment is displaced around the vertebral foramen, does not compress the cervical cord, and does not produce spinal cord compression symptoms, so the patient only has neck pain, and occasionally compresses the greater occipital nerve to cause pain in this distribution area
Atlantoaxial dislocation: there is no fracture of the atlantoaxial vertebrae, but due to the rupture of the transverse atlantoaxial ligament, pterygoid ligament, and odontoid apical ligament, the dislocation between the odontoid process of the central vertebra and the anterior arch of the atlantoaxial vertebra can compress the cervical spinal cord
Odontoid fractures: the force that causes odontoid fractures may come from the horizontal, anterior-posterior, skull to odontoid process
Pivotal vertebral arch fracture: due to the posterior displacement of the vertebral arch fracture, the volume of the spinal canal increases, although the symptoms of spinal cord compression are not produced, but the patient feels neck pain.
The terrible thing about it is that the spinal canal here is the phase migration site between the cervical and medulla oblongata, where the respiratory and heartbeat centers of the body are located, and the injury here causes the spinal cord to hemorrhage, edema or direct compression, or even rupture, and eventually death due to damage to the respiratory and heartbeat centers.
Typically, first aid measures for cervical spine injuries include keeping the airway open, immobilizing the neck, and reducing patient mobility. The cervical spine is a bony structure that connects the human head and the body, which can support the head, and when a cervical spine injury occurs, if it is not treated properly, it will lead to paralysis in severe cases, and it needs to be treated carefully.
Keep the airway open: After a cervical spine injury, first aid providers need to gently place the patient on flat ground to keep the airway open and avoid airway obstruction. If the patient has shortness of breath, a tracheostomy or endotracheal intubation is required
Immobilize the neck: After a neck injury, the first aid personnel can use the neck brace or hold the patient's head with both hands to fix the patient's neck to avoid the neck being shaken during exercise, and at the same time, it is necessary to call the emergency ** in time and wait for medical personnel
Reduce patient movement: After performing simple first aid measures on a patient with a neck injury, the first responder on the scene should not blindly move the patient's body and try to avoid secondary injury to the patient's neck.
It is inevitable to encounter falls or injuries in daily life, so we must improve safety awareness, abide by traffic rules, do not operate in violation of regulations, and prevent the occurrence of trauma is the most effective way to deal with upper cervical spine injuries, so that we can prevent them in our daily life. (Department of Orthopedics, Zhengzhou Seventh People's Hospital.)Ma Weimin
Editor: Wei Jingmin.