Evaluation of Patients Aged 65 and Over After Fall

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 41 - 44, 23.04.2019

Ayça Çalbay Zeynep Gökcan Çakır Abdullah Osman Koçak

Abstract

Objective: Patients aged 65 and older are less likely to be
injured than youngers and older patients are more likely to have a fatal out
come from their injuries. Physical reserves of the elderly patients were
changing by the age. Injuries due to these changes adversely affect the outcome
and prognosis of the geriatric patients. The main causes of injury in the
geriatric population are falling, non-vehicle traffic accidents and burns. The
most common causes of emergency services admittin are falls.

Method: Our study is a retrospective descriptive study. We
investigate the 65 and over 65 years patients who were admitted to our
emergency department with the complaint of fall from their own high on
01.12.2017 to 31.01.2018.

Results: Years of 65 and over of 98 patient were included to
study. Patients were classified seven different injury areas as following:
head, spinal (cervical-thoracal-lomber), thorax, abdomen, pelvic, upper
extremity (shoulder, humerus, elbow, radius, ulna, hand) and lower extremity
(femur, knee, tibia, fibula, foot). The most affected area of these groups as
following in orderly: upper extremity (42), head (31), lower extremity (28),
thorax (23), pelvis (20) and cervical spine (17).

Conclusion: Falls are the cause of %40 patients death in this
age group. Minor mechanisms of injury can produce potentially lethal injury and
complications. As with all trauma cases, the physical examination of the
patients should be performed carefully in the geriatric group. In extremity
traumas signs and complaints of geriatric patients should be the guide of
lession.

Keywords

Fall, geriatric trauma, upper extremity injury

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