Hackensack University Medical Center Neuroscience Institute Team Delivers Comprehensive, Multidisciplinary Spinal Cord Injury Care
Neurosurgeons and neurocritical care experts provide high-level care that gives patients the best chance of a good outcome
At the Hackensack University Medical Center Neuroscience Institute, patients who sustain a traumatic spinal cord injury have access to a Level I trauma center staffed by a comprehensive team of experts, including Mohammed F. Khan, M.D., FAANS, one of the nation’s leading neurosurgeons specializing in complex injuries and disorders of the spine.
“Spinal cord injuries can cause significant disability due to permanent neurological deterioration, particularly when they occur in the cervical spine — and unfortunately, there is no good cure,” said Dr. Khan. “When patients with spinal cord injuries receive care at Hackensack University Medical Center, our team members — from neurosurgery to the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-ICU) — will use the most effective, evidence-based methods to evaluate and treat their condition.”
Advanced Neurosurgical and Neuro-Critical Care at the Helena Theurer Pavilion
Starting in late 2022, patients will receive neurosurgical and neurocritical intensive care at the Helena Theurer Pavilion — a new, nine-story, 530,000-square-foot surgical/intensive care tower on the Hackensack University Medical Center campus. The Pavilion is equipped with innovative technology that facilitates the highest level of care, including:
- Intraoperative MRI capability. The Pavilion is the first hospital in New Jersey to acquire an intraoperative MRI system. The system allows neurosurgeons to take images before surgery to enhance presurgical planning, as well as during the procedure to improve accuracy and precision during spinal cord decompression procedures.
- Dedicated CT imaging in the ICU. Patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have access to a dedicated CT scanner, enhancing critical care efficiency and safety while eliminating the need to move patients from one area of the hospital.
- Fellowship-trained neurointensivists. The Neuro-ICU is staffed by three expert neurocritical care specialists and a team of ICU nurses who will provide round-the-clock care for patients with spinal cord injuries.
Clinical Trial Offers Hope for Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries
The Neuroscience Institute offers clinical trials that provide hope for patients who experience a devastating spinal cord injury. The Institute is currently participating in a clinical trial to test an immunotherapy drug to see whether it can safely improve outcomes in patients who have experienced an acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.
“In some cases, with surgery and intensive rehabilitation, patients may get some level of function back, but there is no medication that can reliably reverse injury,” said Dr. Khan. “With our current trial, we are looking at a potential way to reverse the damage caused by spinal cord injury, as well as the potential to improve outcomes.”
The trial is an international, multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial — the gold standard in clinical trials. Half of the patients in the trial will receive the monoclonal antibody medication elezanumab intravenously, and the other half will receive placebo. To be eligible for the study, patients must have a qualifying injury and receive the infusion within 24 hours of injury and every four weeks through Week 48 for 13 doses.
“The medication comes from the RGM, or repulsive guidance molecule, family of drugs, and it is designed to facilitate the repair mechanism of the axons, or nerve fibers, after a spinal cord injury,” said Florian Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., Chair and Professor, Department of Neurology at Hackensack University Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. “The drug is currently being tested in a separate clinical trial for stroke, and that trial is also available at Hackensack University Medical Center.”
After a patient with a spinal cord injury is diagnosed and stabilized in the Emergency Department, they may require emergency surgery to decompress the spinal cord. When they are moved to the Neuro-ICU, neurocritical care experts will evaluate patients to determine if they are candidates for the clinical trial.
“In this setting of high-level care, we can give patients the best chance of a good outcome,” said Dr. Khan.
