Wednesday, September 26, 2018 7:35 AM–9:00 AM ePosters

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Recent literature has reported that surgical treatment for central cord syndrome (CCS) has increased significantly over the last decade. PURPOSE The aim of our study was to investigate the patient and hospital characteristics, treatment practices, and in-hospital mortality associated with management of CCS. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Retrospective. PATIENT SAMPLE Patients with central cord syndrome. OUTCOME MEASURES Mortality, discharge disposition. METHODS The National Emergency Department Sample was queried from 2009 to 2012 to generate national estimates of patients who presented to the emergency room in the United States and were diagnosed with central cord syndrome. Linkage variables were used to query the associated in-patient stay during the same time period. Significance was set at P RESULTS From 2009 to 2012, there were 11,975 emergency room visits for CCS (mean age 60 years), of which 80.5% patients initially presented to a trauma center. Most common injury mechanisms were fall (55%), and motor vehicle accident (15%). Concomitant cervical fractures were found in 10% patients. A total of 93% patients were admitted to the hospital directly or after transfer to another facility. Of all patients who were admitted to the hospital, 55% patients were treated nonoperatively, 39% were treated with cervical fusion surgery (62% with anterior cervical decompression and fusion, 32% with posterior cervical decompression and fusion) and 6% were treated with laminoplasty. Post-hospitalization, 61% patients were discharged to a rehabilitation facility and 39% were discharged to home. The overall incidence of in-hospital mortality was 2.6%, and on multivariate analysis, mortality was associated significantly with older patient age (OR 1.06, P CONCLUSIONS The majority of patients who presented to the emergency room for central cord syndrome in the United States were treated nonoperatively. Advanced age and greater comorbidities were the factors that were most associated with increased risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with central cord syndrome.