TY - JOUR
T1 - A center's experience
T2 - Pulmonary function in spinal cord injury
AU - Schilero, Gregory J.
AU - Radulovic, Miroslav
AU - Wecht, Jill M.
AU - Spungen, Ann M.
AU - Bauman, William A.
AU - Lesser, Marvin
PY - 2014/6
Y1 - 2014/6
N2 - Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with significant psychological and physical challenges. A multidisciplinary approach to management is essential to ensure recovery during the acute phase, and comprehensive rehabilitative strategies are necessary to foster independence and quality of life throughout the chronic phase of injury. Complications that beset these individuals are often a unique consequence of SCI, and knowledge of the effects of SCI upon organ systems is essential for appropriate management. According to the National SCI Statistical Center (NSCISC), as of 2010 there were an estimated 265,000 persons living with SCI in the United States, with approximately 12,000 incidence cases annually. Although life expectancy for newly injured individuals with SCI is markedly reduced, persons with chronic SCI are expected to live about as long as individuals without SCI; however, longevity varies inversely with level of injury. Since 2005, 56 % of persons with SCI are tetraplegic, and due to paralysis of respiratory muscles, these individuals may be especially prone to pulmonary complications, which remain a major cause of mortality among persons with chronic SCI. We at the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of SCI at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center have devoted more than 25 years to the study of secondary medical conditions that complicate SCI. Herein, we review pulmonary research at the Center, both our past and future endeavors, which form an integral part of our multidisciplinary approach toward achieving a greater understanding of and improving care for veterans with SCI.
AB - Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is associated with significant psychological and physical challenges. A multidisciplinary approach to management is essential to ensure recovery during the acute phase, and comprehensive rehabilitative strategies are necessary to foster independence and quality of life throughout the chronic phase of injury. Complications that beset these individuals are often a unique consequence of SCI, and knowledge of the effects of SCI upon organ systems is essential for appropriate management. According to the National SCI Statistical Center (NSCISC), as of 2010 there were an estimated 265,000 persons living with SCI in the United States, with approximately 12,000 incidence cases annually. Although life expectancy for newly injured individuals with SCI is markedly reduced, persons with chronic SCI are expected to live about as long as individuals without SCI; however, longevity varies inversely with level of injury. Since 2005, 56 % of persons with SCI are tetraplegic, and due to paralysis of respiratory muscles, these individuals may be especially prone to pulmonary complications, which remain a major cause of mortality among persons with chronic SCI. We at the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of SCI at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center have devoted more than 25 years to the study of secondary medical conditions that complicate SCI. Herein, we review pulmonary research at the Center, both our past and future endeavors, which form an integral part of our multidisciplinary approach toward achieving a greater understanding of and improving care for veterans with SCI.
KW - Airway inflammation
KW - Nonspecific airway hyperreactivity
KW - Obstructive sleep apnea
KW - Pulmonary function
KW - Respiratory muscle function
KW - Spinal cord injury
KW - Tetraplegia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84901190857&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00408-014-9575-8
DO - 10.1007/s00408-014-9575-8
M3 - Review article
C2 - 24723067
AN - SCOPUS:84901190857
SN - 0341-2040
VL - 192
SP - 339
EP - 346
JO - Lung
JF - Lung
IS - 3
ER -