Abbreviations

So we've touched briefly on the abbreviations surrounding today's abbreviation, but I thought we'd focus on the abbreviation for the disease process itself.

SCI- Spinal Cord Injury

This is a general very broad abbreviation that includes everyone from those paralyzed from the upper neck down, to those whom outwardly appear to have no spinal cord damage.  It literally means what it says, that someone suffered damage to their spinal cord. 

The causes of spinal cord injury can be as simple as a bad fall, or as complex as spina bifida or tumor formation.  Usually after an injury there is a huge learning curve for a patient who has suffered a spinal cord injury, in terms of damage done to the spine, and what the prognosis is, but those who can figure out how to live with their injury usually have some of the most positive attitudes that I have seen, and as a nurse I find them a joy to work with. 

Examples

Pt suffered a C5-6 SCI. 

(It is common to see the level of injury (e.g. C5-6) mentioned with the injury as it can have critical impact on the type of care the patient is likely to need. We will explore this more as part of our disease process exploration.)
    
Dx: Incomplete SCI. Pt. is expected to make a full recovery with few deficits. 

(Again- we'll explore exactly what this means at a later date.)