Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026
05:30
Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 5, 2014
Geriatric trauma
D B Levy1, D P Hanlon, R N Townsend
1Medical College of Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh.
Clinics in Geriatric Medicine
|August 1, 1993
Summary
Older adults are living longer and remaining active, leading to more trauma cases. This review covers how aging affects injury response and outlines initial evaluation and treatment for geriatric trauma patients.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Trauma Surgery
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Aging population leads to increased activity levels and a rise in older trauma victims.
- Understanding the physiological changes associated with aging is crucial for effective trauma care.
- Geriatric trauma presents unique challenges compared to younger populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effects of aging on the body's response to traumatic injury.
- To delineate the initial evaluation and management strategies for geriatric trauma patients.
- To highlight specific injuries common in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on geriatric trauma.
- Analysis of physiological changes related to aging and injury.
- Delineation of standard and age-specific trauma protocols.
Main Results:
- Aging alters the response to injury, necessitating modified treatment approaches.
- Specific injuries like head and chest trauma, contusions, abdominal trauma, and aortic, spinal, and musculoskeletal injuries require special attention in the elderly.
- Early and accurate assessment is critical for improved outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Geriatric trauma requires a specialized approach considering age-related physiological changes.
- Prompt evaluation and tailored treatment are essential for managing older trauma patients effectively.
- Further research into age-specific trauma interventions is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
01:22Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
As individuals age, their body's physiology evolves, affecting drug pharmacokinetics. The most apparent changes occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where an increase in gastric pH, a delay in gastric emptying, and a reduction in gastrointestinal motility are observed. Remarkably, these changes do not substantially modify the absorption of orally administered drugs, particularly those absorbed via passive diffusion.Transdermal drug delivery emerges as a highly viable method for older adults due...
01:18Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
In geriatric patients, renal physiology undergoes significant changes, including diminished renal blood flow and a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), leading to alterations in medication clearance. Drugs such as aminoglycoside antibiotics, lithium, and digoxin, which rely on glomerular filtration for removal from the body, particularly impact pharmacokinetics. These drugs tend to have slower clearance rates in older adults, necessitating careful dosage considerations.Evaluation of renal...
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:20Traumatic Memory
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual remembers mundane...
01:28Traumatic Brain Injury l: Introduction
DefinitionTraumatic brain injury, or TBI, is a disturbance of normal brain function induced by an external mechanical force, such as a direct blow to the head or a penetrating injury. It can affect both brain structure and function, producing a wide range of clinical outcomes. TBI is a heterogeneous condition, meaning its effects may differ based on the type, location, and severity of the injury.Basis of ClassificationTBI is classified based on severity, injury mechanism, or pathophysiology. In...