ANAESTHESIA FOR LAMINECTOMY AND LOCALIZED CORD COOLING IN ACUTE CERVICAL SPINE INJURY

ANAESTHESIA FOR LAMINECTOMY AND LOCALIZED CORD COOLING IN ACUTE CERVICAL SPINE INJURY
Y. K. DEMIAN, R. J. WHITE, D. YASHON AND H. E. KRETCHMER
Brit. J. Anaesth, 1971

Three patients received anesthesia and cooling after spinal cord injury. Localized cooling of the spinal cord prolonged the duration of anesthesia for a few hours. No changes in systemic blood pressure, pulse rate or e.c.g., that could be ascribed to the cooling effect on the cervical cord, were observed during the management of these three patients. Over a 2-year period a significant recovery of function in the lower cervical segments was observed in all three patients. Resumption of motor function in the lower extremities was found in one of the patients who should not have demonstrated neurological recovery in the lower extremities.