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A Case Series of Concomitant Falls and COVID-19 Infection Among Older Adults
Marisa-Nicole Zayat1, Micah Vander Griend1, Nathan Flescher1
1Department of Trauma Services, University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Wichita, KS.
Introduction:
Few studies have examined the hospital course and patient outcomes among elderly trauma patients with COVID-19 and traumatic fall-related injuries. This study aimed to describe patient characteristics and hospital outcomes for older adults who sustained fall-related injuries and were concurrently infected with COVID-19.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review was conducted for patients aged 65 years and older who were admitted to a single Level 1 trauma center with fall-related injuries between March 3, 2020 and March 3, 2021.
Results:
Of the 807 patients who presented with fall-related injuries during the study period, 16% (n = 128) were tested for COVID-19, and 17% (n = 22) of those tested positive. After excluding one patient, 21 patients were included in the analysis. Common comorbidities among these patients included hypertension (86%, n = 18), dyslipidemia (57%, n = 12), and diabetes (43%, n = 9). Upon admission, 62% (n = 13) of patients exhibited respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, and hypoxemia, while approximately 24% (n = 5) were asymptomatic for COVID-19 at presentation. Complications included unplanned intensive care unit or operating room visits (29%, n = 6). COVID-19-related complications included acute hypoxic respiratory failure (67%, n = 14) and pneumonia (43%, n = 9). In-hospital mortality was 19% (n = 4).
Conclusions:
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 17% of elderly patients admitted to a single Level 1 trauma center for fall-related injuries were concurrently infected with COVID-19. These patients experienced a high frequency of complications and in-hospital mortality. Therefore, COVID-19 should be recognized as a severe and potentially lethal comorbidity among older adults who sustain fall-related injuries.
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