title: The older patient with a spinal cord injury.
abstract: The most common cause of spinal cord injury (SCI) in older persons is falls, followed by motor vehicle crashes and pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes. Upper cervical injuries, particularly central cord syndrome, are prominent in the geriatric patient population. In addition, the mortality is higher, the complications are life threatening, the hospital stay is longer, and the cost of care is significantly increased for the older trauma victim.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Health System, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lovasik
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology