Spinal Cord Injuries

At the Spinal Cord Injury Unit, we seek to treat people with spinal cord injuries in order to alleviate the related disability and, therefore, improve the quality of life, health and social participation of patients. Here, patients receive comprehensive care for all the deficiencies and disabilities that can be caused by a spinal cord injury.

Every year, the Spinal Cord Injury Unit receives more than 80 patients with acute spinal cord injuries. We also admit about 60 patients with chronic spinal cord injuries to treat complications. Outpatient clinics cover around 1,400 patients, with 200 initial visits yearly, 1,200 subsequent visits and 200 visits from other hospitals.

We have a team of specialised multidisciplinary professionals: rehabilitation doctors who are experts in spinal cord injuries, nurses, clinical assistants, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, phoniatricians, speech therapists and social workers, along with other professionals from other hospital departments, such as the ICU, Spinal Surgery and Neurosurgery. Our mission is to make a referral to the hospital in the best conditions, with early diagnosis and personalised rehabilitation treatments.

A&E and EMS now follow a system of protocols, both for adult and paediatric patients, and care for spinal cord injury has been standardised, taking into account all the professionals who will be handling the disability.

We also take into account the neurological level and seriousness of the injury in order to reduce the hospital stay and achieve the best possible functionality, always including patients and their families.

This collaboration between the professionals involved takes place at clinical sessions twice a week and at the sessions with the rachis surgery team once a week, where the case of the acute patient is commented on and decisions are made about the most appropriate surgical treatments for each vertebral fracture.

The Spinal Cord Injury Unit is a reference centre in Catalonia, Andorra and the Balearic Islands in the care of patients with acute spinal cord injuries. We offer treatment and teach medical residents studying Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine in Catalonia, and we are also very active in research.

Research

Clinical follow-up of people with acute spinal cord injury accounts for 40% of research carried out by the Department, which is reflected in the growing number of articles published and their impact over recent years.

The Spinal Cord Injury Unit participates in international clinical trials related to acute spinal cord injuries. We are currently conducting the first international trial with mesenchymal cells in acute injuries, in coordination with surgery of the spinal column and neurosurgery, which is funded by a joint venture between a pharmaceutical company and a biotechnology laboratory.

Teaching

The teaching activity of the Spinal Cord Injury Unit covers undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing education of professionals in the field of spinal cord injuries. Another highlight is our organisation and management of an online training programme through the 4Doctors web platform.

We also have a preferential agreement with the Step By Step foundation, which organises an International Spinal Cord Repair Meeting (ISCORE) every two years, where the latest advances in basic and applied research are presented.