Geriatric Craniomaxillofacial Fractures: Where do They Happen and Why?

The geriatric population is a constantly growing population that is especially vulnerable to trauma. The primary purpose of this study was to determine what factors are associated with increased rates of hospital admission in geriatric patients who sustain craniomaxillofacial fractures secondary to falls.

This is a 5-year retrospective cross-sectional study that was conducted using the NEISS database. There were several, heterogenous predictor variables. The primary outcome variable was admission rate, which was used as a proxy to the severity of injury. Patient and injury characteristics were compared using chi-square and independent-sample t-tests. Binary logistic regression was conducted to determine the risk of hospital admission.

The final sample included 2,879 cases in total. The mean age of the study sample was 78.8 years (SD, 8.6 years). Most patients were white (51.6%) females (64.2%) who were injured at their respective homes (58.7%). Relative to injuries that took place at a sports center, injuries that took place at the patient's home (OR, 2.52; P < .05) independently increased the risk for admission. Relative to maxilla fracture, orbital bone fracture (OR, 3.91; P < .05) was an independent risk factor for admission. Relative to lacerations, intracranial injuries (OR, 3.76; P < .01) increased the risk of admission.

Craniomaxillofacial fractures that took place at the patients' home were at increased risk for admission. Orbital bone fractures and intracranial injuries were at increased risk for admission. From our, and other studies findings, screening and fall prevention interventions should be implemented amongst the geriatric population.