Trauma in elderly patients evaluated in a hospital emergency department in Konya, Turkey: a retrospective study

Trauma in elderly patients evaluated in a hospital emergency department in Konya, Turkey: a retrospective study

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Hasan Kara,1 Aysegul Bayir,1 Ahmet Ak,1 Murat Akinci,1 Necmettin Tufekci,1 Selim Degirmenci,1 Melih Azap21Department of Emergency Medicine, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey; 2Department of Emergency Medicine, Konya Numune Hospital, Konya, TurkeyPurpose: Trauma is a common cause of admission to the hospital emergency department.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cause of admission, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients aged ≥65 years admitted to an emergency department in Turkey because of blunt trauma.Materials and methods: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for 568 patients (314 Home Phone women and 254 men) aged ≥65 years who were admitted to an emergency department of a tertiary care hospital.Results: Trauma was caused by low-energy fall in 379 patients (67%), traffic accident in 79 patients (14%), high-energy fall in 69 patients (12%), and other causes in 41 patients (7%).

The most frequent sites of injury were the lower extremity, thorax, upper extremity, and head.The femur was the most frequent fracture site.After evaluation in the emergency department, 377 patients (66%) were hospitalized.There were 31 patients (5%) who died.

Risk of hospitalization after trauma was significantly associated with trauma to the lower extremity, thorax, and spine; fractures of the femur and rib; and intracranial injury.Conclusion: Emergency department Dishes admission after trauma in patients aged $65 years is common after low-energy falls, and most injuries occur to the extremities.It is important to focus on prevention of falls to decrease the frequency of trauma in the elderly.Keywords: fall, femur, fracture, injury.