title: [Injuries in the elderly patients].
abstract: More and more higher development of civilisation causes constant lengthening of life in humans. Changes, which occur during growing old of organism predispose to increased risk of trauma. Financial cost of medical treatment of injuries in elderly are higher and higher. Degenerative disease of joints, osteoporosis, earlier body injuries and co-existing other diseases are important risk factors of trauma. Deficiencies of eyesight, hearing and prolonged time reaction are other strengthening risk of trauma. Falls and motor-vehicle accidents are the most frequent causes of trauma in elderly. Distal radius fracture, fracture of the proximal femur bone and compressive vertebral fracture of spine are typical fractures in the skeletal system. Head injuries are the most frequent cause of death in this group of patients. Limited functional reserves, especially in the respiratory and circulatory system brings difficulties in the treatment of even not dangerous injuries of chest and increases risks of infectious complications in respiratory system and finally may lead to organ failure. Elderly patients need more precise physical examination and diagnostics because essential information from the patient's history are often difficult to obtain. Indications to hospitalisation should be often widened even at not dangerous injuries, because the patients may demand intensive analgesic treatment and nursing. Necessity of care provided by other persons, poor care in household conditions, and inadequate social circumstances extend also indications to hospitalisation. There is a need to creation of nursing care departments for considerable group of injured persons who finished proper hospital-treatment, but because of the above-mentioned reasons cannot exist at home.
authors.affiliation: Klinika Medycyny Ratunkowej i Obrazeń, Wielonarzadowych II Katedry Chirurgii Ogólnej, Collegium Medicum, Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w Krakowie.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hładki
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brongel
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lorkowski
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology