Factors effecting on mortality in elderly trauma patients

Trauma is one of the main public health problems in every country free of the socialand economic development. trauma can effect every one of any ages.according to the growthin the number of the elderly population we will face with this issue seriously in the next years.By the advances in medicine and well accomplished diabetes melitus, arthritis, coronaryarterial diseases in the elderly population; patients of this group has a beter life quality. Thepossibility of trauma especially vehicle accidents and falls gets more frequent in the elderly.531 elderly patients admitted to Dicle University Hospital Emergency Departmentbetween January 2004 and May 2008 are included subsequently in th e study and data of thesepatients were analyzed retrospectively. All patients have been seen in emergency department.Patients were divided into two groups: the survey (n=451) group and mortal (n=80)group. Survey group was named as group 1 and mortal group was named as group 2. betweengroup 1 and 2 age, sex, chronic diseases, drug use, the formation of the trauma, izolated ormultiple trauma, the injured body part, the type of injury seen after trauma, initial hemoatocritat admission, hospitalization period, therapies, trauma scores (Glascow Coma Score andRevized Trauma Score) were analyzed as the possible factors effecting on mortality. Theincomplete patient files are not included in the study.İn our study we found that traumas out of house (p=0,002), Pedestrian-vehiclecollision (p<0.05), head trauma, abdominal and thorax trauma (p<0.05), face and skullfractures, epidural hematoma, subdural hematoma, subarachnoid hemorrage, cerebralcontussion/intraparanchimal hemorrage, rib/ sternum fractures, pnomothorax, hemothorax,pulmonary contussion (p<0.05), low Glascow Coma Scale and Revized Trauma S core (p<0.05) were the factors that were effecting mortality.Pedestrian-vehicle collision (odds ratio OR=0,471, confidence interval CI=0,215-1,032), (OR=0,113, CI=0,038-0,338), subarachnoid hemorrage (OR=0,204, CI=0,054-0,763),pulmonary contusion (OR=0,170, CI=0,06 3-0,456), cerebral contusion/ intracerebralhemorrage (OR=0,085, CI= 0,085-0,751) and low RTS (OR=0,525, CI=0,420 -0,656) were theindependent variables effecting mortality.Key words: elderly patient, trauma, mortality