Analysis of the Factors that Influence the Incidence and the Severity of Geriatric Trauma Patients and Correlation between the Factors

Kim, Jung Ho; Do, Byung Soo; Lee, Sam Beom; Lee, Sung Hoon; Kim, Oh Ryoung; Chung, Jun Young

Abstract

PURPOSE: The development of a social system or a national economic state is accompanied by a proportional increase in the number of the aged. As the social activity of geriatric people increase, the frequency of traumatic injury also increases. In this study, to prevent geriatric trauma and to reduce medical expenses, we analyzed the factors that influence the incidence and the severity of geriatric trauma and the correlation between the factors. METHOD: The subjects of our investigation ware trauma patients over sixty-five years old who visited the Emergency Department of Yeungnam University Hospital during a period from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2003. We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of 436 geriatric trauma patients, and we analyzed the data by using SPSS 12.0 for Window(R). RESULT: The average age was 72.8 years, and the ratio of males to females was 1:1.1. The mean Injury Severity Score(ISS) was 10.8, and no difference was found between male and female. The mean hospitalization days were higher in patients who had a past medical history or who had a complications. Slips were the most common cause of trauma(199, 44.3%). Bicycle accidents and cultivator accidents were more common for males, but slips were more common for females. Bicycle accidents and in-car traffic accidents tended to cause longer hospitalization days. The largest number of aged trauma patients, 46, occurred during May and the smallest number, 24, during December. In addition, summer had the largest number of aged trauma patients, 93. The types of trauma, ISS, and numbers of patients did not correlate with season. The number of patients was increased on partly cloudy days, and the incidence of complication was increased in cultivator accident patients.
CONCLUSION
Aged trauma patients who visit the ED for trauma must not overlook on the basis of their normal vital signs. For males, safety education is required when riding bicycles, motorcycles and cultivators. For females, encouragement to use walking aids that can prevent slips will reduce the occurrence of injury. Patients who visit by in-car TA, cultivator accidents, or bicycle accidents or who have a past medical history need to be give more care to reduce complications after hospitalization. Additionally, many side efforts must be initiated in order to reduce trauma in aged people.