Occurrence of Infection in Anterior Cervical Fusion for Spinal Cord Injury After Tracheostomy

Abstract

The authors concluded that in patients with cervical cord damage resulting from nonpenetrating trauma, tracheostomy was not found to increase the risk of infection in subsequent anterior cervical surgery. Careful preparation of the skin and placement of the second surgical incision lateral to the tracheostomy site is recommended. Anterior cervical spine surgery remains a viable treatment option in this severely injured patient population.