TY - JOUR PY - 2023// TI - Characteristics of fall-from-height patients: a retrospective comparison of jumpers and fallers using a multi-institutional registry JO - Clinical and experimental emergency medicine A1 - Jun, Jinhae A1 - Lee, Ji Hwan A1 - Han, Juhee A1 - Kim, Sun Hyu A1 - Kim, Sunpyo A1 - Cho, Gyu Chong A1 - Park, Eun Jung A1 - Lee, Duk Hee A1 - Hong, Ju Young A1 - Kim, Min Joung SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - OBJECTIVE: Fall from height (FFH) is a major public health problem that can result in severe injury, disability, and death. This study investigated how the characteristics of jumpers and fallers differ.

METHODS: This was a retrospective study of FFH patients enrolled in an Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance (EDIIS) registry between 2011 and 2018. Depending on whether the injury was intentional, FFH patients who had fallen from a height of at least 1 m were divided into two groups: jumpers and fallers. Patient characteristics, organ damage, and death were compared between the two groups, and factors that significantly affected death were identified using multivariable logistic analysis.

RESULTS: Among 39,419 patients, 1,982 (5.0%) were jumpers. Of the jumpers, 977 (49.3%) were male, while 30,643 (81.9%) of fallers were male. The jumper group had the largest number of people in their 20s with a decrease in number of individuals with age, but the age of individuals in the faller group increased until their 50s and then decreased. More thoracoabdominal, spinal, and brain injuries were found in jumpers. The in-hospital mortality of jumpers and fallers was 832 (42.0%) and 1,268 (3.4%), respectively. Intentionality was a predictor of in-hospital mortality, along with sex, age, and fall height, with an odds ratio of 7.895 (95% confidence interval, 6.746-9.240).

CONCLUSION: Jumpers and fallers have different epidemiological characteristics, and jumpers experienced a higher degree of injury and mortality than fallers. Differentiated prevention and treatment strategies are needed for jumpers and fallers to reduce mortality in FFH patients.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 2383-4625 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.15441/ceem.23.074 ID - ref1 ER -