Effect of prehospital cervical spine immobilization on mortality and neurological outcome in trauma patients: an observational cohort study with propensity score matching based on the trauma registry of the German trauma society (TraumaRegister DGU®)

Background

Prehospital cervical spine immobilization is standard trauma care intended to prevent secondary spinal cord injury, yet evidence for its effectiveness is limited, and adverse effects are increasingly recognized. Large registry-based comparisons accounting for injury severity are scarce. This study investigated the association between prehospital cervical spine immobilization and hospital mortality and neurological outcome in trauma patients.