TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Injury patterns and incidence of intra-abdominal injuries in elderly ground level fall patients: is the PAN-SCAN warranted?
JO  - American journal of surgery
A1  - Gartin, Christopher G.
A1  - Reyes, Jared
A1  - Helmer, Stephen D.
A1  - Haan, James M.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the incidence of intra-abdominal injuries in elderly patients after a ground-level fall. <br><br>METHODS: A 6-year retrospective review was conducted on patients 65 years of age or older involved in a fall from standing and evaluated at a level 1 trauma center. Each patient presented with a pelvic, thoracolumbar, and/or lower rib fracture. Data collection included demographics, injury characteristics, FAST exam results, CT imaging results, and hospitalization outcomes. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 324 patients met study inclusion criteria. The majority of patients were white (95.1%) females (65.4%) with an average age of 82.0 ± 7.3 years. Only 22 patients (6.8%) reported abdominal pain, although an abdominal CT was performed in 91 patients (28.1%). Only 1 patient (0.3%) was found to have an intra-abdominal injury when no abdominal pain was reported and the FAST exam was negative. This injury was not clinically significant enough to warrant surgical intervention. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Elderly patients who suffer a ground-level fall do not benefit from PAN-SCAN, even when presenting with rib, thoracolumbar, and/or pelvic fractures.<br><br>Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0002-9610
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjsurg.2018.11.041
ID  - ref1
ER  -