Work-related tetraplegia: cause of injury and annual medical costs

Study design: Descriptive study.Objective: To describe the demographics, cause of injury, and annual-paid medical costs for the 5 years following injury for cases of work-related tetraplegia.Setting: A single United States workers' compensation (WC) claims database.Methods: Tetraplegia cases with initial date of injury from 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1999 were selected by cross-referencing word search terms pertaining to body part injured and nature of injury. The main outcome measures were injury causes and annual-paid medical payments (adjusted to year 2000 medical consumer price index) of work-related tetraplegia by injury group for each year postinjury over a 5-year time period.Results: A total of 62 claimants with work-related tetraplegia injured between 1 January 1989 and 31 December 1999. The vast majority of those identified were male claimants (92%) and more than a quarter worked in the construction industry (26%). Other highly represented industries included transportation and retail (15% each), manufacturing (13%), and agriculture and utility (11% each). The majority of injuries were the result of falls (36%) and vehicular accidents (34%). The mean Year 1 cost was $560 524 for those with a high-level tetraplegia (C2–4 ASIA A–C), $431 033 for a low-level injury (C5–8 ASIA A–C), and $178 041 for those with an ASIA D tetraplegia injury. The mean cost of subsequent years (Years 2–5) was $130 992 for a high-level, $129 250 for a low-level, and $34 352 for an ASIA D tetraplegia injury.Conclusions: Mean costs for Year 1 postinjury in WC cases are similar to previously published estimates. Comparing the current results with those of previous spinal cord injury cost studies suggests that those with work-related tetraplegia may receive more injury-related paid medical benefits after the first year postinjury than cases who do not receive WC-supported benefits.Sponsorship: Supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDDR) (Grant # H133N00024).