TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Predictors of falls and mortality among elderly adults with traumatic brain injury: a nationwide, population-based study
JO  - PLoS one
A1  - Fu, Wayne W.
A1  - Fu, Terence S.
A1  - Jing, Rowan
A1  - McFaull, Steven R.
A1  - Cusimano, Michael D.
SP  - e0175868
EP  - e0175868
VL  - 12
IS  - 4
N2  - BACKGROUND: Elderly adults are at particular risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and tend to suffer worse outcomes compared to other age groups. Falls are the leading cause of TBI among the elderly. <br><br>METHODS: We examined nationwide trends in TBI hospitalizations among elderly adults (ages 65 and older) between April 2006 and March 2011 using a population-based database that is mandatory for all hospitals in Canada. Trends in admission rates were analyzed using linear regression. Predictors of falls and in-hospital mortality were identified using logistic regression. <br><br>RESULTS: Between 2006 and 2011, there were 43,823 TBI hospitalizations resulting in 6,939 deaths among elderly adults in Canada. Over the five-year study period, the overall rate of TBI admissions increased by an average of 6% per year from 173.2 to 214.7 per 100,000, while the rate of fall-related TBI increased by 7% annually from 138.6 to 179.2 per 100,000. There were significant trends towards increasing age and comorbidity level (p<0.001 and p = 0.002). Advanced age, comorbidity, and injury severity were independent predictors of both TBI-related falls and mortality on multivariate analysis. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Prevention efforts should be targeted towards vulnerable demographics including the "older old" (ages 85 and older) and those with multiple medical comorbidities. Additionally, hospitals and long-term care facilities should be prepared to manage the burgeoning population of older patients with more complex comorbidities.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1932-6203
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175868
ID  - ref1
ER  -