TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2016//
TI  - Geriatric fall-related injuries
JO  - African health sciences
A1  - Hefny, Ashraf F.
A1  - Abbas, Alaa K.
A1  - Abu-Zidan, Fikri M.
SP  - 554
EP  - 559
VL  - 16
IS  - 2
N2  - BACKGROUND: Falls are the leading cause of geriatric injury. <br><br>OBJECTIVES: We aimed to study the anatomical distribution, severity, and outcome of geriatric fall-related injuries in order to give recommendations regarding their prevention. <br><br>METHODS: All injured patients with an age ≥ 60 years who were admitted to Al-Ain Hospital or died in the Emergency Department due to falls were prospectively studied over a four year period. <br><br>RESULTS: We studied 92 patients. Fifty six of them (60.9%) were females. The mean (standard deviation) of age was 72.2 (9.6) years. Seventy three (89%) of all incidents occurred at home. Eighty three patients (90.2%) fell on the same level. The median (range) ISS was 4 (1-16) and the median GCS (range) was 15 (12-15). The lower limb was the most common injured body region (63%). There were no statistical significant differences between males and females regarding age, ISS, and hospital stay (p = 0.85, p = 0.57, and p = 0.35 respectively). <br><br>CONCLUSION: The majority of geriatric fall-related injuries were due to fall from the same level at home. Assessment of risk factors for falls including home hazards is essential for prevention of geriatric fall-related injuries.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1680-6905
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v16i2.24
ID  - ref1
ER  -