How To: Flexion / Extension Views of the Cervical Spine
Tweet Clearance of the cervical spine can often be done using clinical criteria alone (see this video at http://youtu.be/NhjF9kDOcjE). If this is not possible, a combination of radiologic and clinical...
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Tweet Spine Clearance For Nurses This 11 minute video provides information on the cervical spine clearance process in awake patients, reviews activity restrictions associated with the use of cervical...
View ArticleNursing Video : Cervical Spine Clearance Demystified
Tweet Nurses who take care of trauma patients run into this all the time. “The cervical spine is cleared,” they say. But who is “they?” How did “they” do it? What is the patient now allowed to do? And...
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Cervical Spine MRI After Negative CT
Tweet There are multiple ways to clear a cervical spine! Most centers use a combination of clinical decision tools and CT scan in adults. The gold standard tie breaker, warranted or not, seems to be...
View ArticlePhysical Exam And Thoracolumbar Spine Fractures
Tweet The physical exam is an important part of the initial evaluation of trauma patients. Sometimes it actually makes the diagnosis, but much of the time it focuses further studies like x-rays or lab...
View ArticleIt’s Time To Simplify Cervical Spine Clearance!
Tweet Cervical spine clearance is another one of those tasks that everyone seems to do their own way. Most trauma centers have an algorithm for clearance, or even two, like my center. But anytime...
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A New Proposed Practice Guideline For Cervical Spine Clearance
Tweet In my last post, I reviewed a very recent prospective study on using CT scan alone for cervical spine clearance in intoxicated patients. I believe that this is the final piece in the spine...
View ArticleEAST 2018 #11: Prehospital Cervical Spine Clearance
Tweet More and more often, I am receiving trauma activation patients after blunt trauma with no cervical collar in place. Up until a year ago or so, literally everyone with even a hint of blunt trauma...
View ArticleBest of AAST #2: Cervical Spine Clearance And Distracting Injuries
Tweet Debate has forever swirled around how to clear the cervical spine. Clear clinically? CT scan plus exam? CT only? Flexion/extension views? Distracting injury? This last one has been problematic...
View ArticleBest of EAST #3: Spine MRI Usage After EAST Guidelines
In 2015, EAST published their practice guidelines for spine clearance in the obtunded blunt trauma patient. Click here to view them. They stated that a high-quality CT scan can be used to remove...
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