Cardiopulmonary resuscitation causing thoracolumbar hyperextension with severe spinal cord injury: A case report

Thoracic vertebral fractures are extremely rare complications of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A morbidly obese 79-year-old female positive for COVID-19 suffered cardiac arrest and received CPR for 18 minutes with return of spontaneous circulation. Post cardiac arrest the patient was unable to be weaned from the ventilator and had decreased lower extremity movement. A computed tomography scan of the chest/abdomen/pelvis demonstrated a widely diastatic spinal separation at the T12/L1 intervertebral disc space with L1 spinous process fracture. The patient ultimately expired from the severe spinal cord injury combined with older age, COVID-19 pneumonia, and morbid obesity. CPR can be an important life-saving procedure, but strict attention to proper technique is of paramount importance as it can have many possible complications.