Spinal Cord Injuries

“What are the assessment findings associated with injuries of the spinal cord at the thoracic level?” The signs and symptoms associated with a thoracic spinal cord injury may range from respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and urinary complications. If the thoracic vertebrae experience any trauma, during assessment the patient may exhibit a loss of physical sensation, paraplegia or weakness in the legs, bradycardia, hypotension, or orthostatic hypotension. The patient may also experience hypoactive bowel sounds or paralytic ileus, abdominal distention, constipation, or uncontrollable bowels. In continuing, the patient may also display urinary signs and symptoms such as, urinary retention or urinary incontinence. (Lewis, 2014)
The first intervention will be to rotate the patient with caution every two hours. In continuing, pillows or foam wedges may be applied to bony prominences to relieve pressure on the skin. This practice will also be applied to wheel chairs and various types of seating. The next intervention is to maintain skin integrity through intravenous medication therapy to balance electrolytes and a protein rich diet. Obesity or malnutrition can promote skin breakdown. By balancing electrolytes, promotes proper hydration to the integumentary system to maintain skin integrity. The rich protein diet will provide the essential building blocks for muscle and skin growth and repair. If pressure ulcers are developed, prescribed ointments and lotions are applied to the pressure ulcer and dry dressings. Then the dry dressing will be wrapped in dry gauzes to add additional relief of pressure. Furthermore, proper teaching of diet and medication regiment will support skin health and prevent pressure
The patient may exhibit anger, frustration, hopelessness, and depression as a result of the loss of everyday activities. They may also perceive themselves as a burden to others. The measures that are used to help the patient to adjust to their altered lifestyle are to be supportive and provide encouragement. By involving the patient in the planning stage will contribute to the patient’s self-esteem and rehabilitation process. The nurse must exhibit tolerance for the patient because the individual may experience transitional stages of emotional regression during the rehabilitation stage (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, 2014) . In the rehabilitation stage, patients may develop an altered independent lifestyle but, still experience psychosocial