Who Do Spinal Cord Injuries Affect in the United States?
• 250,000 Americans are spinal cord injured. • 52% of spinal cord injured individuals are considered paraplegic and 47% quadriplegic. • Approximately 11,000 new injuries occur each year. • 82% are male. • 56% of injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 30. • The average age of spinal cord injured person is 31. • SCI injuries are most commonly caused by: • Vehicular accidents 37% • Violence 28% • Falls 21% • Sports-related 6% • Other 8% • The most rapidly increasing cause of injuries is due to violence; vehicular accident injuries are decreasing in number. • 89% of all SCI individuals are discharged from hospitals to a private home, 4.3% are discharged to nursing homes. • Only 52% of SCI individuals are covered by private health insurance at time of injury. What Do Spinal Cord Injuries Really Cost? • Length of initial hospitalization following injury in acute care units: 15 days • Average stay in rehabilitation unit: 44 days • Initial hospitalization costs following injury: $140,000 •
• 250,000 Americans are spinal cord injured. • 52% of spinal cord injured individuals are considered paraplegic and 47% quadriplegic. • Approximately 11,000 new injuries occur each year. • 82% are male. • 56% of injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 30. • The average age of spinal cord injured person is 31. • SCI injuries are most commonly caused by: • Vehicular accidents 37% • Violence 28% • Falls 21% • Sports-related 6% • Other 8% • The most rapidly increasing cause of injuries is due to violence; vehicular accident injuries are decreasing in number. • 89% of all SCI individuals are discharged from hospitals to a private home, 4.3% are discharged to nursing homes. • Only 52% of SCI individuals are covered by private health insurance at time of injury. What Do Spinal Cord Injuries Really Cost? • Length of initial hospitalization following injury in acute care units: 15 days • Average stay in rehabilitation unit: 44 days • Initial hospitalization costs following injury: $140,000 •
