The acute respiratory management of cervical spinal cord injury in the first 6 weeks after injury: A systematic review

Abstract

Study design: Systematic review.Objectives: Identify, evaluate, and synthesize evidence regarding the effectiveness of various treatment strategies for the respiratory management of acute tetraplegia.Setting: Melbourne, Australia.Methods: A search of multiple electronic databases (Medline, Cinahl, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, http://www.guideline.gov and http://www.icord.org/scire) was undertaken accompanied by the reference lists of all relevant articles identified. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the PEDro Scale. Descriptive analysis was performed.Results: Twenty-one studies including 1263 patients were identified. The majority of the s..