Citation

Martuchi SD, Batista DVA, Karakhanian ACM, Gianvecchio DM, Carvalho DD, de Souza Nogueira L. J. Trauma Nurs. 2020; 27(2): 111-120.

Affiliation

School of Nursing, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Mr Martuchi and Mss Batista and Karakhanian); Medical-Legal Institute of Sao Paulo, and Medical School, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Dr Gianvecchio); Administration Department, School of Economics, Administration and Accounting, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Dr Carvalho); and Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, School of Nursing, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Dr Nogueira).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Society of Trauma Nurses)

DOI

10.1097/JTN.0000000000000496

PMID

32132492

Abstract

Fall represents an important cause of death and its relation with the population aging evidences the need of a broad analysis considering different aspects associated with its occurrence. The objective of this study was to compare fatal victims due to unintentional fall among adults, young olds, olds, and oldest olds, according to sociodemographic data, characteristics, and severity of the trauma. This study is a cross-sectional, comparative study analyzing autopsy reports of fatal victims due to fall, admitted to the Medical Legal Institute of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. The following age groups were: adults (≥18 and <60 years), young olds (≥60 and <70 years), olds (≥70 and <80 years), and oldest olds (≥80 years). The Pearson's χ, Fisher's exact, Kruskal-Wallis, and Dunn tests were applied to compare the groups, with a significance level of 5%. Regarding the 469 fatalities analyzed (57.8% males, mean age: 71.3 ± 18.2 years), there was a higher frequency of oldest olds (43.5%), ground-level falls (70.1%), femoral fractures (35.0%), and delayed deaths (79.6%) due to posttraumatic complications (57.2%). Adults, young olds, olds, and oldest olds differed significantly (p ≤.005) in relation to the total of analyzed variables, with a special remark on the differences between the age extremes. High frequencies of femoral fractures and delayed deaths due to complications of treatment in low-severity fall victims, especially those older than 70 years, make it necessary to improve fall prevention programs in the older adults and to create a line of care for this population.

Language: en