Smacc

Darren Braude and Karim Brohi debate over the utility of hard cervical collars. Darren argues that it is time to do away with hard cervical collars. He raises some assumptions. The first being that movement of the spine is bad. As he explains, movement is not the problem. Rather, energy deposition in the spine causes injury, not simply movement. With that being said, the problem is that the hard collar does not prevent movement! Surely, the benefits of the hard collar outweigh the risks. Darren argues otherwise. He discusses the effects of the hard collar on ICP and venous drainage of the brain. The issue here is that the patients with the highest risk of cervical injuries also carry the highest risk of concomitant brain injuries – and we as clinicians should not tolerate any increased risk to the brain. Finally, Darren argues that the hard cervical collar impairs airway management which is the priority for any emergency situation. Cervical collars are unlikely to help and can cause harm! Karim argues in favo