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Risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality in elderly patients admitted to a regional trauma center after sustaining a fall

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Abstract

Background and aims

Falls are a significant cause of mortality in the elderly patients. Despite this, the literature on in-hospital mortality related to elderly falls remains sparse. Our study aims to determine the risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality in elderly patients admitted to a regional trauma center after sustaining a fall.

Methods

All elderly case records with fall-related injuries between 2003 and 2013 were retrospectively analyzed for demographic characteristics, injury severities, comorbidity factors and clinical outcomes. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality.

Results

In total, 1026 elderly patients with fall-related injuries were included in the study. The average age of patients was 80.94 ± 8.16 years. Seventy seven percent of the patients had at least one comorbid condition. Majority of the falls occurred at home. More than half of the patients fell from ground level. Overall, the in-hospital mortality rate was 16 %. Head injury constituted the most common injury sustained in patients who died (77 %). In addition to age, ISS, GCS, ICU admission and anemia were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with in-hospital deaths in elderly fall patients.

Conclusion

Ground-level falls in the elderly can be devastating and carry a significant mortality rate. Elderly patients with anemia were two times more likely to die in the hospital after sustaining a fall in our study population. Increased focus on anemia which is often underappreciated in elderly fall patients can be beneficial in improving outcomes and reducing in-hospital mortality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, NY, USA

    L. J. Cartagena, A. Kang, A. Jordan, I. C. Nweze, V. Sasthakonar & L. D. George Angus

  2. Department of Emergency Medicine, Nassau University Medical Center, 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, NY, 11554, USA

    S. Munnangi & A. Boutin

  3. Department of Surgery, Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA

    L. D. George Angus

Authors
  1. L. J. Cartagena
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  2. A. Kang
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  3. S. Munnangi
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  4. A. Jordan
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  5. I. C. Nweze
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  6. V. Sasthakonar
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  7. A. Boutin
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  8. L. D. George Angus
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Munnangi.

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The authors report no conflict of interest in this work.

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The study protocol was approved by NUMC’s Institutional Review Board.

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Cartagena, L.J., Kang, A., Munnangi, S. et al. Risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality in elderly patients admitted to a regional trauma center after sustaining a fall. Aging Clin Exp Res 29, 427–433 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0579-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0579-5

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