title: Characteristics of intentional fall injuries in the ED.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of intentional fall injuries and the factors associated with their prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 8992 patients with unintentional falls from a height (nonintentional group) and 144 patients with intentional falls from a height (intentional group). General and clinical characteristics were compared between the 2 groups. Intentional fall cases were divided into severe and nonsevere groups, and the factors associated with severe injury were evaluated by comparing these groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common age group was younger than 14 years in the nonintentional group and between 30 and 44 years old in the intentional group. For the nonintentional group, 65% of the patients were male, and 48% were male in the intentional group. Fall heights of more than 4 m were most common in the intentional group. Discharge was the most common result in the nonintentional group; however, death before arrival at the emergency department (ED) or during ED treatment occurred in 54.9% of patients in the intentional group. In the severe injury group within the intentional group, patients were older, and the height of the fall was higher. Factors associated with severe injury in the intentional group included being a high school graduate rather than a college graduate and greater fall height.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk of severe injury increased with fall height in the intentional group, and a high school level of education rather than a college level of education was associated with more severe injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan 682-714, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan 682-714, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: stachy1@paran.com.
authors.forename: Sun Hyu
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Pyo
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Koo Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Hallym University, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Yeong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Cheon
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: In Cheol
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult