Table 1.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes of 34,449 geriatric trauma patients ≥ 70 years old in the Ohio trauma registry from 2006 – 2011, overall and stratified by adoption of geriatric triage criteria*
| Older adults aged ≥70 years (n=34,499) | Before triage criteria adopted (n=15,664) | After triage criteria adopted (n=18,835) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||
| Median (IQR) age | 82 (77–87) | 82 (77–87) | 82 (77–87) |
| Male gender | 31% (10,755) | 31% (4,788) | 32% (5,967) |
| Race/Ethnicity | |||
| White | 90% (31,031) | 92% (14,345) | 89% (16,686) |
| Black | 4.7% (1,624) | 5.1% (792) | 4.4% (832) |
| Hispanic | 0.3% (105) | 0.3% (39) | 0.4% (66) |
| Other | 0.9% (306) | 1.0% (153) | 0.8% (151) |
| Undocumented | 4.2% (1,433) | 2.1% (333) | 5.8% (1,100) |
| Mechanism of Injury | |||
| Blunt | 99% (34,049) | 99% (15,462) | 99% (18,587) |
| Penetrating | 0.8% (266) | 0.7% (114) | 0.8% (152) |
| Burns | 0.5% (157) | 0.5% (75) | 0.4% (82) |
| Asphyxial | 0.1% (27) | 0.1% (13) | 0.1% (14) |
| Injury Severity | |||
| ISS >15 | 14% (5,001) | 16% (2,489) | 13% (2,512) |
| ISS 10–15 | 14% (4,795) | 13% (2,082) | 14% (2,713) |
| ISS <10 | 72% (24,703) | 71% (11,093) | 72% (13,610) |
| Median (IQR) ISS | 5 (4–10) | 6 (4–10) | 5 (4–10) |
| Proportion meeting trauma triage criteria | |||
| Geriatric triage criteria | 58% (20,010) | 57% (8,984) | 58% (11,026) |
| Adult triage criteria | 44% (15,347) | 44% (6,972) | 44% (8,375) |
| Hospital measures | |||
| Inter-hospital Transfers | 9.3% (3,198) | 8.4% (1,310) | 10% (1,888) |
| Initial transport to a trauma center (level 1 or 2) | 45% (15,459) | 44% (6,928) | 45% (8,531) |
| Any transport to a trauma center (level 1 or 2) | 53% (18,418) | 52% (8156) | 54% (10,262) |
| ICU Stay ≥ 1 day | 17% (5,761) | 14% (2,181) | 19% (3,580) |
| OR visits (≤48hrs) | 13% (4,480) | 12% (1,926) | 14% (2,554) |
| Discharge status | |||
| Home† | 35% (12,014) | 37% (5,350) | 38% (6,664) |
| Medical facility ‡ | 58% (20,147) | 59% (9,214) | 58% (10,933) |
| Mortality | 6.8% (2,338) | 7.1% (1,100) | 6.6% (1,238) |
*
Values are percentage(n) or median (IQR)
†
Discharge to home includes home, home with professional assistance, jail/prison, against medical advice or other non-medical facility (shelter, home hospice, etc.)
‡
Discharge to medical facility includes extended care facility, nursing home, skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation facility, or transfer to another hospital
IQR=interquartile range; ISS=Injury severity score; ICU=intensive care unit; OR=operating room