Other Pharmaceuticals
There are many other medications with potential benefit for the treatment of pulmonary function in SCI. The use of anticoagulants for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli is covered in Chapter 15. Other medications used in the treatment of asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as cromolyn sodium, methylxanthines and inhaled corticosteroids have not been studied in SCI.
| Author Year; Country Score Research Design Total Sample Size |
Methods | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
|
Li et al. 2012; China |
Population: N=61 participants with acute C-SCI (AIS A and B) randomly divided into 2 groups: high-dose ambroxol group (n=27) and control group (n=34). High dose ambroxol: 17M 10F; mean(SD) age: 56.1(11.2). Control group: 23M 11F; mean (SD) age: 53.0(13.6). Treatment: Treatment group received intravenous ambroxol at 990 mg/day for 5 consecutive days after operation; the control group did not receive any treatment. Outcome measures: Oxygenation index, pulmonary complications. |
|
Discussion
Ambroxol is a mucolytic medication that is used in the treatment of respiratory diseases associated with excessive mucus. There is one RCT (Li et al. 2012) that shows that high-dose IV ambroxol after surgical cervical spinal cord decompression and stabilization reduces the rate of postoperative pneumonia and increases blood oxygenation.
Conclusion
There is level 1b evidence (based on 1 RCT: Li et al. 2012) that high-dose IV ambroxol after surgery increases blood oxygenation in cervical spinal cord injured patients with motor complete injuries.
