Introduction It is not uncommon for patients with persistent neck pain after trauma despite negative cervical imaging to be discharged with a rigid collar. Protocols for these patients vary widely. Few studies have evaluated clinical outcomes after discharge. No studies have evaluated the patient's experience in a cervical collar after discharge. Methods We evaluated adults with blunt trauma and negative cervical spine imaging who were discharged in a rigid cervical collar. Over a 19-month period, 45 patients were available for analyses. The primary outcome was any identified missed injuries after discharge. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of patients self-clearing from their collars and complications related to wearing a collar. Results There were no missed traumatic injuries on follow-up imaging. Twenty of 45 patients cleared themselves from the collar without a physician order. Twenty-four patients had their collars removed by a provider in the clinic between 1-84 days after injury. One patient removed the collar after being advised by a chiropractor. More than half of patients reported one or more complications from wearing the cervical collar including pain, skin irritation, problems sleeping, difficulty talking or swallowing. Conclusions Collar complications are frequent. Follow-up imaging did not change outpatient management. Our data suggests against the practice of discharging trauma patients home in a cervical collar with negative imaging and no focal neurologic deficit.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9110094PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.24170DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cervical collar
16
negative cervical
12
discharged rigid
12
collar
10
cervical imaging
8
persistent neck
8
rigid collar
8
patients
8
imaging discharged
8
studies evaluated
8

Similar Publications

Aim: The aim is to evaluate and compare stress distribution characteristics of ball, magnet, and positioned attachment systems in single and double implant-retained overdentures using the finite element method (FEM).

Setting And Design: In vitro (in silico study) finite element analysis (FEA).

Materials And Methods: A Styrofoam mandible with duplicated silicon mucosa was used to construct a mandibular complete denture.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation have not been fully elucidated. This study focused on identifying radiographic predictors of difficult fiberscopic intubation during general anesthesia in patients with a cervical collar.

Methods: This retrospective study included unconscious patients who underwent orotracheal intubation using a flexible fiberscope while wearing a cervical collar to simulate a difficult airway.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study reports on an extremely rare case of non-traumatic atlantoaxial rotatory fixation (AARF) in an adult. Although there are numerous reports on traumatic AARF in adults, those on non-traumatic AARFs are limited. We present the case of a 25-year-old woman who developed neck pain with a limited range of motion (ROM) that began upon waking without any particular inducement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There is a physiological association of the neck movements and jaw and tongue movements. However, there are no previous data regarding the performance of the tongue when the neck is under a lack of movement condition.

Objective: To quantify the tongue's maximal strength and mobility under an experimental restriction of cervical mobility.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: For patients with head and neck cancer who have undergone microvascular free flap surgery, securing a tracheostomy collar onto the neck using the traditional method (ie, with tracheostomy ties) is contraindicated because the ties may compress the newly vascularized tissue. However, no clear guidance exists for the use of other methods in these patients. Current techniques often use safety pins, which can cause injury to staff members.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!