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Post-trauma mortality increase at age 60: a cutoff for defining elderly?
Mackenzie Campbell-Furtick1, Billy J Moore1, Tiffany L Overton1
1John Peter Smith Health Network, Research Institute, 1500 S. Main St., Fort Worth, TX 76104, USA.
American Journal of Surgery
|April 4, 2016
Summary
Identifying elderly trauma patients is crucial, but age definitions vary. This study suggests using age 60 as a data-driven threshold for "elderly" in trauma care to improve patient management.
Area of Science:
- Trauma Care
- Geriatric Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Current definitions of
- elderly
- trauma patients vary widely (55-80 years), hindering optimal care.
- An objective, data-driven definition is needed for better trauma management in older adults.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish an objective, data-driven definition of
- elderly
- in trauma care.
- To evaluate mortality risk as a function of age in trauma patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 872,861 adult patients (2003-2010) from the National Trauma Data Bank.
- Multivariate logistic regression to determine risk-adjusted in-hospital mortality.
- Step-wise regression and spline functions to analyze age's contribution to mortality.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant increases in mortality rates observed at ages 37, 60, and 78.
- Age accounted for 10% of mortality risk.
- Glasgow Coma Scale and Injury Severity Score combined accounted for over 80% of mortality risk.
Conclusions:
- Age 60 is proposed as a data-driven definition for
- elderly
- in trauma care.
- This definition can aid in optimizing trauma management strategies for older adults.
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