Timing of surgical intervention after firearm-related spinal cord injury.

Context: Surgical management of firearm-related spinal cord injury (SCI) remains controversial, and there are no clear guidelines. Time to surgery, surgical indications, and patient characteristics on initial presentation in this group are not well understood, and these factors may impact the potential for neurologic recovery after operative intervention.

Objective: To understand the timing and factors affecting the timing of operative intervention after firearm-related SCI.