[Mortality structure following spine and spinal cord injuries]

In a group of 520 patients with injury to the spine and spinal cord 125 died within 10 years. The highest fatality rate (76.0 +/0 3.8) is recorded in the first year after the injury. In the following 10 years the fatality rate was uniform and ranged between 1.6 and 4.1%. This value increases with the patient's age, the severity of the spinal cord injury, and the degree of damage to the spinal ligamento-bursal apparatus. Among the total number of injured, 76% have a survival period of more than 10 years.