Lessons learned from administration of high-dose methylprednisolone sodium succinate for acute pediatric spinal cord injuries

OBJECTIVEMethylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS) has been studied as a pharmacological adjunct that may be given to patients with acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) to improve neurological recovery. MPSS treatment became the standard of care in adults despite a lack of evidence supporting clinical benefit. More recently, new guidelines from neurological surgeon groups recommended no longer using MPSS for ASCI, due to questionable clinical benefit and known complications. However, little information exists in the pediatric population regarding MPSS use in the setting of ASCI. The aim of this paper was to describe steroid use and side effects in patients with ASCI at the authors’ Level 1 pediatric trauma center in order to inform other hospitals that may still use this therapy.METHODSA retrospective chart review was conducted to determine adherence in ordering and delivery according to the guideline of the authors’ institution and to determine types and frequency of complications. Inclusion criteria include...