Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39478103›Full record

ArticleSpinal cord2025

Mortality and causes of death of traumatic spinal cord injury in Finland.

Elina Johansson, Eerika Koskinen, Mika Helminen, Aki Vainionpää, Teemu M Luoto

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Spinal cord, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Elina JohanssonDepartment of Neurology, Tampere University Hospital, Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa, Tampere, Finland. elina.johansson@tuni.fi.ORCID 0000-0003-2159-9684
Eerika KoskinenDepartment of Neurology, Tampere University Hospital, Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa, Tampere, Finland.
Mika HelminenTays Research Services, Tampere University Hospital, Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa, and Faculty of Social Sciences, Health Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.ORCID 0000-0001-5695-2084
Aki VainionpääDepartment of Rehabilitation, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, Seinäjoki, Finland.
Teemu M LuotoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Tampere University Hospital, Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa, and Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.ORCID 0000-0002-7329-3284

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designProspective cohort study.

objectivesTo study the mortality rates of TSCI patients compared to matched controls and to examine possible TSCI-related mortality risk factors and causes of death.

settingOulu and Tampere University Hospital, Finland.

methodsAll consecutive patients with a new TSCI were included in a prospective study (n = 344, 2012-16). All patients were followed until death or the end of 2019. Patients were compared to a control group formed by randomly choosing gender, age, municipality, and calendar time-matched controls (5 controls/TSCI patient). Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated using general population mortality rates. Mortality information was extracted from the Statistics of Finland (Helsinki, Finland).

resultsTSCI patients had an increased mortality (SMR = 2.9) compared with the Finnish population. During the observation period, 26% of TSCI patients and 12% of the matched controls died. Of the TSCI patient deaths, 51% occurred within the first two years postinjury. Increased age, severity of TSCI (as per International SCI Core Data Set) and fall were related to mortality (p < 0.05). The two most common etiologies of death were: circulatory (30%), and pulmonary diseases (28%). Pneumonia was the single most frequent disease leading to death among TSCI patients.

conclusionsDuring the first years after injury, the mortality of the patients with TSCI is double compared to the controls. Most deaths occur within two years postinjury. Elderly patients with more severe fall-related injury have the highest mortality risk. Circulatory diseases and pulmonary diseases, especially pneumonia, are the foremost causes of death after TSCI.

Indexed as

Spinal Cord InjuriesAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCause of DeathFemaleFinlandHumansMaleMiddle AgedPneumoniaProspective StudiesRisk FactorsYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID39478103
PMCPMC11732745

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.