title: Unsuspected serious abdominal trauma after falls among community-dwelling older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In elderly community-dwelling patients who experience ground-level falls, fractures or brain injury are the major concern. Serious abdominal injury is seldom contemplated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Identify all such patients presenting after a simple fall and admitted with serious blunt abdominal trauma to a single academic medical centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients with both diagnoses aged 65 years or more admitted over 1 year to the department of medicine, geriatrics, surgery or urology were identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 546 patients screened, three cases of ground-level falls leading to splenic rupture, isolated gallbladder rupture with gallstone ileus and perinephric hematoma were found (0.55%) and are reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Falls in elderly patients are exceedingly common mandating recognition of even rare complications. Physicians should be more aware of the possibility of occult and serious consequences of blunt abdominal trauma after falls among older adults, albeit rare.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Department of Radiology, Kaplan Medical Centre, Rehovot and Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel amischatt@gmail.com.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schattner
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Department of Radiology, Kaplan Medical Centre, Rehovot and Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mavor
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Department of Radiology, Kaplan Medical Centre, Rehovot and Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adi
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000293:injuries; D006406:Hematoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D045823:Ileus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012421:Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D013161:Splenic Rupture / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed