Mark X. Odum is NARIC’s director and has been a part of the NARIC team since its earliest days. In this week’s post, he reflects on his experience living with spinal cord injury (SCI) throughout his adult life and his focus on managing his health to prevent infections.
September marks National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month, and lately my focus revolves around the crucial topic of infection prevention and management. As our readers may know, I have lived with spinal cord injury (SCI) for more than 45 years and managing my health means being vigilant about caring for my skin, my urinary tract, and my lungs to prevent infections. People with SCI face elevated risks for developing several types of infections which could lead to increased disability and even death. People with SCI can experience complications in managing bladder function, requiring the use of catheters which can make them more prone to urinary tract infections (UTIs). They can also experience reduced lung function, putting them at risk for pneumonia. Pressure injuries are another serious risk factor for infections. Studies have shown more people are surviving longer with a SCI; and aging also increases the susceptibility to severe infections.
Being vigilant toward these life-threatening possibilities is no joke. In my first 40 years post SCI, I had two UTIs and no skin breakdowns or infections. Recently after a couple of severe infections, I have battled against both and have been participating in the NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Neurogenic Bladder project at Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as a weekly Gentamicin protocol (see the journal article cited below) to battle some severe infections.
I’ve also been very cautious about preventing skin and lung infections. One study from the NIDILRR-funded National SCI Model System Centers showed that developing pneumonia or wound infections while in the hospital led to greater disability and higher death rates for people with SCI. In fact, within the first year after injury two of the top five leading causes of death were respiratory diseases (30.9%) and infective and parasitic diseases (9.5%). In my experience, vaccines can also offer a strong deterrent against infections. For the first two winters after my SCI, I developed serious cases of pneumonia. In 1976, I received the pneumonia vaccine (along with the booster every 10 years) and have not gotten pneumonia again. In addition, I’ve written previously about my experience in managing pressure injuries and the risk of infection there.
Looking forward, I am very excited about these NIDILRR-funded studies and how their research can help my community in managing our health for the long term:
- Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Health and Function for People with Physical Disabilities Focused on Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction.
- National Capital Spinal Cord Injury Model System (NC-SCIMS).
- The Effect of Gentamicin Intravesical Instillations on Decreasing Urinary Tract Infections in Patients with Neurogenic Bladder After SCI: A Clinical Trial.
- Northern California Spinal Cord Injury Model System of Care.
- Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System.
- Development and Community Evaluation of a Real-Time System for Monitoring, Feedback, and Training to Prevent Pressure Injuries in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury.
You may also be interested in these Research In Focus summaries from NIDILRR-funded studies on this topic:
- For People with Recent Spinal Cord Injuries, Pneumonia and Pressure Ulcers May Be Connected
- Some Complications Are More Common During the First Year After Spinal Cord Injury Inpatient Rehabilitation
In summary, September’s focus on National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness serves as a reminder of the importance of infection prevention and management within the SCI community, given the unique challenges and risks we face.