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EDITORIAL STAFF PERSPECTIVE
The preceding case and the discussion both provide an excellent platform to discuss
the subject of combination of circumstances, which make the reduction of medicine
to an exercise in applying ‘checklists’ so very unappealing for an affected individual.
This patient presented on first and second glances seemingly with a cord contusion.
Without the keen observations of the treating physicians, it is very likely that this
patient would have been placed into a category of „incomplete cord injury” and not
received the optimal treatment for his specific condition, which was a brachial plexus
injury with cord contusion. Such a rare combination of circumstances remains the domain
of case reports—to share with a larger audience the insights gained from this particular
instance. This case also reflects the exact reason why medicine retains an aura of
art along with science—to make the leap from the obvious to the actual evidence takes
experience and attention to detail paired with knowledge on the part of the practitioner.
