"Moderate Hypothermia as Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury

In this issue of Orthopedics, Dr Andrew Cappuccino, assistant team orthopedic surgeon for the NFL Buffalo Bills and the supervising and operating surgeon of Bills player Kevin Everett, discusses the use of moderate systemic hypothermia to treat spinal cord injuries.


Please explain moderate hypothermia as used for spine injuries.

Moderate hypothermia is a technique for lowering the body’s core temperature and trying to maintain temperatures between 33.5°C and 34.5°C to POTENTIALLY MINIMIZE metabolic demands and EDEMA WITHIN AN INJURED SPINAL CORD.

Why does this procedure work?

Moderate systemic hypothermia works in animal models by minimizing damage due to many pathways, including inflammation mediated by polymorphonuclear neutrophils and ischemia from direct compression with compromise of blood supply, which results in noxious-free oxygen radical production.11-23

Will it work with every patient?

No single intervention, including systemic hypothermia, will be a panacea. However used in conjunction with other modalities, we are hoping for improved outcomes—more rapid and complete recoveries—in these catastrophic injuries."



The website that this exercept is taken directly from is at this address and it contains more info.
http://www.orthosupersite.com/view.asp?rID=26905

Now, the reason this is highlighted is because it supports the idea I have been stating of the idea of the 'cause' being inflammation associated with axonal damge better known as demyelination. This information cumulatively illustrates and explains the knowledge that spinal cord is more as a disorder of the myelin, whereas multiple sclerosis is more so axonal disease. More will be continued later and my posts will be compiled adding number to show the order they were written in and make sense when reading in that order.

I'm sure that inflammation further aggravates issues. But personally I wouldn't be able to get over the spasms long enough to even think of trying that.......what I personally think is hogwash. In my opinion it would cause more problems in the majority of persons with SCI than it would even begin to help.

Here's one of the problems with "complete recoveries, "we're human and as we age, so to does some of our functions and abilities." We begin to lose things (both physical and mental; in all cases one if not both attributes) as we get older. Do recall the force required to break a healthy bone. Now think, what is inflammation?