Tabulation and Review of Autopsy Findings in Fifty-Five Paraplegics

Prevalence and incidence of pressure sores in acute spinal cord injuries

“…Guttmann, mentioned by Kuhn (1947) and by Ruge (1969), stated that 85 per cent of spinal cord injured patients had pressure sores on admission to the Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Dietrick and Russi (1958) fo und a preval ence of 68·6 per cent of pressure sores in the autopsy findings of 55 paraplegics. In an analysis of spinal cord injured vererans of World War II, Kennedy (1946) fo und that over 75 per cent had developed pressure sores.…”

Effect of Spinal Cord Injury on the Respiratory System

“…Used with permission. 34Until recently, renal failure and complications of the urinary tract were the leading causes of death among persons with SCI 1,[45][46][47][48][49][50]. But improvements in bladder care and catheter regimens have reduced mortality to the point that respiratory diseases have surpassed urinary disorders as the leading cause of death.…”

Towards a catheter free status in neurogenic bladder dysfunction: a review of bladder management options in spinal cord injury (SCI)

“…26 Chronic renal in¯ammation Autopsy studies of long term catheterised spinal injuries patients revealed chronic in¯ammation in 65% to 95% of patients. 26,2 In addition, in SCI patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) renal amyloidosis, papillary necrosis, pyonephrosis and perinephric abscess are common. 27 Histologically, there is evidence of hypertensive arteriolo-nephrosclerosis (uncontrolled hypertension), and progressive loss of the remaining nephrons due to glomerular hyperfilteration and hypertension.…”

“…Renal disease, as the primary pathological diagnosis was present in 20.3%. 2 In 1963, Tribe 3 reported the results of post-mortem studies of 122 cases of chronic paraplegics from Stoke Mandeville hospital. Fifty-three of the deaths were primarily of renal failure, all but three had chronic pyelonephritis.…”