Management of Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Adults after Spinal Cord Injury Suggested citation: Jeffery Johns, Klaus Krogh, Gianna M. Rodriguez, Janice Eng, Emily Haller, Malorie Heinen, Rafferty Laredo, Walter Longo, Wilda Montero-Colon, Mark Korsten. Management of Neurogenic Bowel Dysfunction in Adults after Spinal Cord Injury: Clinical Practice Guideline for Healthcare Providers. Journal of Spinal Cord Med. 2021. Doi:10.1080/10790268.2021.1883385

Managing Neurogenic Bowel After Spinal Cord Injury: A Comprehensive Approach from Inpatient to Outpatient Care

Neurogenic bowel is often overshadowed by other medical complications of spinal cord injury (SCI) but can significantly impact one's quality of life. This article aims to illustrate the intricacies of anatomy and physiology within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract as it pertains to SCI and how to navigate neurogenic bowel management-from the acute postinjury phase through the lifelong journey of adaptation and care in outpatient settings.

Navigating the Journey: Transitioning Spinal Cord Injuries from Acute Care to Rehabilitation

PM&R plays an essential role in managing the individual with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Receiving care at an acute hospital and a rehabilitation center familiar with SCIs is critical. PM&R can guide the health care team and the patient/family through such a potentially life-changing event. Early consultation can help prevent complications and decrease stay length and mortality. A life-long relationship with the rehabilitation team is often recommended; team members such as navigators and multiple inpatient rehabilitation stays can help enhance care and opportunities for individuals with SCI.

Peer-supported interventions for people with spinal cord injury

OBJECTIVES

This is a protocol for a Cochrane Review (intervention). The objectives are as follows: Primary objective To assess the effects of peer-supported interventions on quality of life and self-management compared with control (i.e. usual care, no intervention, or other supportive or psychosocial interventions) in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). Secondary objective To assess the effects of peer-supported interventions on health service utilisation, secondary health conditions, mood disorders, and social participation compared with control (i.e. usual care, no intervention, or other supportive or psychosocial interventions) in people with SCI, as well as to assess the adverse outcomes of peer-supported interventions in people with SCI.

Barriers and facilitators encountered by healthcare providers when supporting individuals with SCI to change their bowel care

BACKGROUND

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are dissatisfied with their bowel care, but 71% have not changed their care for at least 5 years. Recently, individuals with SCI expressed a need for knowledge about bowel care options. Healthcare providers (HCP) play a crucial role in supporting bowel care changes.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators HCP face when discussing changes in bowel care with individuals with SCI.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with HCP in partnership with Spinal Cord Injury British Columbia and key community stakeholders. Barriers and facilitators were extracted, deductively coded using the Theoretical Domains Framework, then inductively analysed for themes.

RESULTS

Themes highlighted that effective bowel care requires diverse knowledge from a multidisciplinary team. Lack of time to prioritise bowel care and limited healthcare resources were barriers to improving care, which may be augmented through regular bowel care review of both medical and person-centered priorities. Facilitators were accessible and tailored knowledge sharing of care options, complemented by peer support.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the need for targeted interventions that reduce barriers and enhance facilitators to changing care routines, supporting individuals with SCI to change bowel care when needed, and improving quality of life.

Bowel Management in the Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Neurogenic bowel and bladder are well-known complications of spinal cord injury. During the acute phase of recovery from spinal cord injury, spinal shock occurs, resulting in loss of reflexes and peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract. These impairments can result in complications in the gastrointestinal tract and, secondarily, the respiratory system due to the distention of the abdomen. Current guidelines for bowel management target the chronic phase of spinal cord injury after a diagnosis of neurogenic bowel dysfunction can be made. METHODS: The purpose of this literature review was to determine evidence-based recommendations for bowel management during the acute phase of spinal cord injury. A systematic search using the databases CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest was used to identify relevant evidence. RESULTS: The available evidence is based on expert consensus, is dated, and tends to be based on studies conducted during the chronic phase of injury. Careful assessment of the symptoms of bowel dysfunction would indicate that during the acute phase of spinal cord injury, spinal shock causes a patient to experience an areflexive bowel pattern where bowel motility is limited and reflexes are absent. Management of areflexive bowel includes establishment of a daily bowel program including manual removal of stool. To improve emptying of stool, factors such as rectal and oral medications, fluid, fiber, and activity may be adjusted according to need. CONCLUSION: There is limited evidence focused specifically on bowel management in the acute phase of spinal cord injury. Bowel management is complex and multifaceted and needs to be individualized to the patient as well as frequently reevaluated with changes in condition. Further research is needed to evaluate outcomes for bowel management in the acute phase of spinal cord injury to promote best practices.

Neurogenic Bowel and Management after Spinal Cord Injury: A Narrative Review

People with spinal cord injury (SCI) suffer from the sequela of neurogenic bowel and its disabling complications primarily constipation, fecal incontinence, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. Neurogenic bowel is a functional bowel disorder with a spectrum of defecatory disorders as well as colonic and gastrointestinal motility dysfunction. This manuscript will review the anatomy and physiology of gastrointestinal innervation, as well as the pathophysiology associated with SCI. It will provide essential information on the recent guidelines for neurogenic bowel assessment and medical management. This will allow medical providers to partner with their patients to develop an individualized bowel plan utilizing a combination of various pharmacological, mechanical and surgical interventions that prevent complications and ensure successful management and compliance. For people with SCI and neurogenic bowel dysfunction, the fundamental goal is to maintain health and well-being, promote a good quality of life and support active, fulfilled lives in their homes and communities.

Pressure Injuries and Management after Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in motor paralysis and sensory loss that places individuals at particularly high risk of pressure injuries. Multiple comorbidities associated with autonomic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, endocrine, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, neurological, and musculoskeletal dysfunction makes it even more likely that pressure injuries will occur. This manuscript will review the structure and function of the integumentary system, and address the multidisciplinary approach required to prevent and manage pressure injuries in this vulnerable population.

Pathophysiology, Classification and Comorbidities after Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord is a conduit within the central nervous system (CNS) that provides ongoing communication between the brain and the rest of the body, conveying complex sensory and motor information necessary for safety, movement, reflexes, and optimization of autonomic function. After a spinal cord injury (SCI), supraspinal influences on the spinal segmental control system and autonomic nervous system (ANS) are disrupted, leading to spastic paralysis, pain and dysesthesia, sympathetic blunting and parasympathetic dominance resulting in cardiac dysrhythmias, systemic hypotension, bronchoconstriction, copious respiratory secretions and uncontrolled bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction. This article outlines the pathophysiology of traumatic SCI, current and emerging methods of classification, and its influence on sensory/motor function, and introduces the probable comorbidities associated with SCI that will be discussed in more detail in the accompanying manuscripts of this special issue.

Autonomic Dysfunction and Management after Spinal Cord Injury: A Narrative Review

The autonomic nervous system (ANS), composed of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, acts to maintain homeostasis in the body through autonomic influences on the smooth muscle, cardiac muscles, blood vessels, glands and organs of the body. The parasympathetic nervous system interacts via the cranial and sacral segments of the central nervous system, and the sympathetic nervous system arises from the T1–L2 spinal cord segments. After a spinal cord injury (SCI), supraspinal influence on the ANS is disrupted, leading to sympathetic blunting and parasympathetic dominance resulting in cardiac dysrhythmias, systemic hypotension, bronchoconstriction, copious respiratory secretions and uncontrolled bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction. Further, afferent signals to the sympathetic cord elicit unabated reflex sympathetic outflow in response to noxious stimuli below the level of SCI. This article outlines the pathophysiology of SCI on the ANS, clinical ramifications of autonomic dysfunction, and the potential long-term sequelae of these influences following SCI.

Evaluation of the quality of published SCI clinical practice guidelines using the AGREE II instrument: Results from Can-SCIP expert panel

INTRODUCTION

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a complex condition with substantial adverse personal, social and economic impacts necessitating evidence-based inter-professional care. To date, limited studies have assessed the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) within SCI. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of the development process and methodological rigour of published SCI CPGs across the care continuum from pre-hospital to community-based care.

METHODS

Electronic health databases and indexes were searched to identify English or French language CPGs within SCI published within the last nine years with specific evidence-based recommendations applicable to the Canadian health care setting. Eligible CPGs were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument.

RESULTS

A total of forty-one CPGs that met the inclusion criteria were appraised by at least four raters. There was high variability in quality. Twenty-seven CPGs achieved a good rigour of development domain score of >70%. Other standardized mean domain scores were scope and purpose (85.32%), stakeholder involvement (65.03%), clarity of presentation (84.81%), applicability (55.55%) and editorial independence (75.83%). The agreement between appraisers (intraclass correlation coefficient) was high (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.80).

CONCLUSION

There is a paucity of CPGs that address community-based specialized rehabilitation and community reintegration. Furthermore, many CPGs only focus on a single impairment at one time point in the care continuum. As SCI is a complex condition that results in multimorbidity and requires health monitoring and intervention across the lifespan, a rigorously developed CPG that addresses high-quality, interprofessional comprehensive care is needed.

Development of the Canadian Spinal Cord Injury Best Practice (Can-SCIP) Guideline: Methods and overview

INTRODUCTION

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a life-altering injury that leads to a complex constellation of changes in an individual's sensory, motor, and autonomic function which is largely determined by the level and severity of cord impairment. Available SCI-specific clinical practice guidelines (CPG) address specific impairments, health conditions or a segment of the care continuum, however, fail to address all the important clinical questions arising throughout an individual's care journey. To address this gap, an interprofessional panel of experts in SCI convened to develop the Canadian Spinal Cord Injury Best Practice (Can-SCIP) Guideline. This article provides an overview of the methods underpinning the Can-SCIP Guideline process.

METHODS

The Can-SCIP Guideline was developed using the Guidelines Adaptation Cycle. A comprehensive search for existing SCI-specific CPGs was conducted. The quality of eligible CPGs was evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument. An expert panel (n = 52) convened, and groups of relevant experts met to review and recommend adoption or refinement of existing recommendations or develop new recommendations based on evidence from systematic reviews conducted by the Spinal Cord Injury Research Evidence (SCIRE) team. The expert panel voted to approve selected recommendations using an online survey tool.

RESULTS

The Can-SCIP Guideline includes 585 total recommendations from 41 guidelines, 96 recommendations that pertain to the Components of the Ideal SCI Care System section, and 489 recommendations that pertain to the Management of Secondary Health Conditions section. Most recommendations (n = 281, 48%) were adopted from existing guidelines without revision, 215 (36.8%) recommendations were revised for application in a Canadian context, and 89 recommendations (15.2%) were created de novo.

CONCLUSION

The Can-SCIP Guideline is the first living comprehensive guideline for adults with SCI in Canada across the care continuum.