Guideline for diagnosis and treatment of spine trauma in the epidemic of COVID-19

• Main Authors: Yu-Long Wang, Feng-Zhao Zhu, Lian Zeng, Dionne Telemacque, Jamal Ahmad Saleem Alshorman, Jin-Ge Zhou, Ze-Kang Xiong, Ting-Fang Sun, Yan-Zhen Qu, Sheng Yao, Tian-Sheng Sun, Shi-Qing Feng, Xiao-Dong Guo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-08-01
• Series: Chinese Journal of Traumatology
• Subjects: COVID-19; Spine fracture; Spinal cord injuries; Diagnosis and treatment
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1008127520301450

Outbreak of COVID-19 is ongoing all over the world. Spine trauma is one of the most common types of trauma and will probably be encountered during the fight against COVID-19 and resumption of work and production. Patients with unstable spine fractures or continuous deterioration of neurological function require emergency surgery. The COVID-19 epidemic has brought tremendous challenges to the diagnosis and treatment of such patients. To coordinate the diagnosis and treatment of infectious disease prevention and spine trauma so as to formulate a rigorous diagnosis and treatment plan and to reduce the disability and mortality of the disease, multidisciplinary collaboration is needed. This expert consensus is formulated in order to (1) prevent and control the epidemic, (2) diagnose and treat patients with spine trauma reasonably, and (3) reduce the risk of cross-infection between patients and medical personnel during the treatment.