Evaluation of Causes and Outcomes of Domestic Falls of the Patients Aged 65 and Over

Özet

Introduction: To describe the characteristics of the elderly patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) due to domestic falls concerning the causes and outcomes of the accident.Methods: This study included all consecutive elderly patients admitted to the ED within two months due to domestic falls. Descriptive analyses regarding demographics, history, and clinical findings were performed.Results: In this study, 159 elderly patients were admitted with falls in the study period, while 73 patients had exclusion cri-teria. Mean age was 76.7±7.1 and 68.4% (n=59) were female. 81.2% of the patients were diagnosed with soft tissue injuries. Sixteen patients with fractures were older than patients without fractures (p=0.016). “Trip and fall” was the most common mechanism (n=37, 43.5%).Discussion and Conclusion: Although a majority of domestic falls in the elderly result in simple injuries, fractures occur in older patients, patients with smoking habits and/or alcohol use, or on routine use of medicines.