The Impact of Trauma Admissions in the Elderly

Abstract

Elderly patients may decrease their work and physical activities as they get older. Do they require more frequent hospital admission following trauma? Is this due to underlying co-morbid conditions, risk factors such as osteoporosis or dementia, or do they have more frequent injury? What is the economic impact of this hospital care and, in an era of shrinking resources, what steps may reduce the cost? In an article recently published in the Journal of Surgical Research, Chang and his co-workers reported on the California experience in 2008.