AANS Online Scientific Sessions: Trauma-The Acutely Injured Cord and Vasopressors: Proceed with Caution in the Frail

The Acutely Injured Cord and Vasopressors: Proceed with Caution in the Frail

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, James Malcolm from Emory in Atlanta, Georgia discusses the use of vasopressors in spinal cord injury patients and its consequences, particularly with frail patients. While spinal cord injury affects thousands of patients each year, there is limited high-quality data on the use of vasopressors for blood pressure augmentation. The study aims to evaluate the complications associated with vasopressor use in spinal cord injury patients, hypothesizing that frail patients receiving vasopressors for mean arterial pressure (MAP) goals will experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality. The study includes 186 patients, with various levels of frailty, and finds that severely frail patients receiving vasopressors have higher mortality and more unplanned intubations. However, the association between vasopressor use and troponemia is less clear. The study concludes that while frail patients have higher mortality, the use of vasopressors may be more dangerous in this group. The study acknowledges limitations such as its retrospective nature, small sample size, and unbalanced cohorts.

Asset Subtitle

James Gregory Malcolm

Keywords

vasopressors

spinal cord injury

frail patients

blood pressure augmentation

complications