What keeps you up at night? Failure to recognize spinal column or spinal cord injuries, or improper treatment of them, can have catastrophic and often irreversible neurological consequences. Initial patient assessment is often shared between emergency care personnel, neurological surgery residents, orthopedic surgery residents, and/or physician extenders before on-call attending physicians can be consulted. Therefore, it is critical that these clinicians are provided with evidence-based training regarding optimal immobilization techniques, early appraisal methodologies (including neurological assessment) , image modality choices, and initial treatment guidelines.
AOSpine North America's Regional Residents Course - Surviving the Night is designed to utilize case-based discussions and practical exercises to provide residents or other health-care providers with an opportunity to hone their decision-making skills regarding patients with spine-related emergencies. In this course, expert faculty will teach evidenced-based principles for clinical assessment and classification of spinal trauma; recognition of emergency spinal conditions such as cauda equina syndrome; initial stabilization and treatment techniques for spine-related emergencies; and recognition/treatment of patients with special circumstances such as an ankylosed spine or a gunshot wound.
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Enrollment in the course is open to all residents and physician extenders who must assess spinal emergencies while on call. These include orthopedic and neurological surgery residents; emergency management residents; physician's assistants, and nurse practitioners.