Spinal injury survival rates 'improved by surgery'

People with spinal injury, who may depend on home care, have a much improved chance of survival if they undergo surgery for the condition, new figures have revealed.

A 44 per cent decreased risk of death was seen in spinal injury patients who received surgery, it was reported by the Daily Telegraph.

After 24 months, the survival rate in the surgery group was 74.8 per cent compared to the 64.7 per cent seen in those who were not operated on, according to the study presented at the meeting of the British Geriatric Society.

According to the newspaper, Michael Kotrba of Croydon University Hospital said : "We've known for a long time about the benefits of minimally invasive surgical intervention in the reduction of pain but this is the first time we seem to have robust data showing that it can highly contribute to saving lives."

In other news, a stem cell trial has been awarded $25 million (£15.3 million) in funding, potentially bringing hope to the many with spinal injury who use home care.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) allocated the funding to Geron Group for the first human embryonic stem cell trial to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

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