EVALUATION OF FALL CASES PRESENTING TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Abstract
Objective: Trauma is one of the main causes of deaths throughout the world. Falls, a type of trauma, is considered among blunt traumas and rank 2nd after traffic accidents. In our study, we aimed to provide data that would offer insights for preventive programs that would be implemented in the future, by determining the demographic characteristics and results of trauma patients with a history of falling who had presented to the emergency department of our hospital.
Material and Method: A total of 1433 cases of falls who presented to the emergency department between January 2016 and May 2017 due to a fall were evaluated retrospectively, and their demographic characteristics were presented. The cases’ gender, age, nature of injury, affected body part, and discharge/hospitalization status parameters were considered. Chi-square analysis was utilized during statistical comparisons of categorical variables, and descriptive statistics were presented in frequencies (%). p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Of the 1433 cases who were included in the study, 836 (58.3%) were male, and the mean age of all cases was calculated as 30.7 (±25.4) years. When the distribution of the cases into age groups was examined, the maximum number of patients presenting was 559 (39%) in the 0–18-year-old age group. It was found that 307 (21.4%) of the 1433 cases were admitted to a clinic, and that the mean age of the admitted cases, 43.57 (±29.4), was higher than that of the discharged cases (p<.001). The maximum hospitalization rate among the age groups was 115 (45.3%) patients in the group with patients over 60 years of age. When the nature of injury of the cases were examined, it was seen that the group of people falling from the same level constituted the highest number of patients, 834 (58.2%) people. Considering the body parts affected by a fall, the maximum number of injuries involved 599 (41.8%) patients with an extremity injury. And, considering the hospitalization rates, the rate of hospitalization of multi-trauma patients with a 52.6% hospitalization rate was calculated as the highest rate.
Conclusion: In order to reduce cases of falls that constitute a significant portion of traumas, it is emphasized that it is necessary to raise awareness of the community in this regard, to train emergency medicine physicians, and to take preventive measures for circumstances that can be prevented.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Clinical Sciences
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
December 1, 2019
Submission Date
January 10, 2019
Acceptance Date
February 10, 2019
Published in Issue
Year 2019 Volume: 26 Number: 4