Epidemiology of spine trauma in an Irish regional trauma unit: A 4-year study Simon J. Roche * , Peter A. Sloane, J.P. McCabe Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Merlin Park Regional Hospital, 50 Carrigeen, Knocknacarra, Galway, Ireland Accepted 6 December 2007 Introduction Spine injury management constitutes a significant proportion of the overall workload of trauma treat- ment. A spinal cord injury can be disabling or life threatening with devastating long-term physical and psychological consequences. 3 The costs to the patient, their family and the healthcare delivery system can be enormous. 9 In the United States alone, approximately 11,000 cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) occur annually. 20 The estimated lifetime cost of treating a 25-year-old patient with a SCI can reach $2.8 million. Relatively few data exist regarding the aetiology and demographics of spine trauma. Current research generally focuses on a specific patient profile, 5,16 the modality of injury 8,21 or the nature of trauma to a specified anatomical region of the spine. 11,14 Injury, Int. J. Care Injured (2008) 39, 436—442 www.elsevier.com/locate/injury KEYWORDS Spine register; Spine trauma; Falls Summary Currently there is a lack of information on the full spectrum of spine trauma presenting to medical services in a defined geographic area. This study analyses the aetiology and demographics of a cohort of spine trauma in the West of Ireland. A regional trauma unit has been investigated for a 51-month period. Two hundred and eighty-five cases admitted with spine trauma were documented. The annual incidence of traumatic spinal injury was 19.54 cases/100,000 persons per year. Falls and low-energy trauma are shown to constitute a significant proportion of all cases (60.35%). Injury at greater than one level is frequently present. The highest peak of injury occurred in the 20—24-year-old age group (11.58%). A second peak occurred at 75—79 years of age (7.37%). The commonest cause of neurological injury was falls (n = 9; 64.3%). This spine trauma register has provided valuable insights into the patterns of injury encountered in spine trauma patients in this region. It may act as a blueprint for a national spine trauma register and highlights the importance of patient education and injury prevention strategies. # 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. Tel.: +353 87 9180248. E-mail address: drsimonroche@gmail.com (S.J. Roche). 0020–1383/$ — see front matter # 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.injury.2007.12.012