title: Falls in the elderly: a modern look at an old problem.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Falls are a leading cause of unintentional injury among adults, especially those over 65 years of age. With increasing longevity and improving access to health care, falls are affecting a more mobile senior citizen population that does not fit the typical profile. We set out to evaluate the current nature of these falls in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a 2-year retrospective chart review of all falls in patients 65 years or older at an urban Level I trauma center. Demographics, location and height of fall, associated injuries, and outcomes were obtained from chart review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 400 patients meeting inclusion criteria. The cohort had a mean age of 78.3 ± 8.8 years, 50% were male, and 72.5% had at least 1 comorbidity. Non-ground level falls (Non-GLF) were recorded in 56 patients (14%). These patients suffered a significantly higher injury burden. Non-GLF were associated with significantly higher intensive care unit length of stay (2.6 ± 5.6 vs 4.6 ± 6.7 days, P = .016) and a trend toward higher mortality than GLF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Falls remain a source of considerable healthcare expenditure, especially among the elderly. Non-GLF account for 14% of cases and are associated with a significantly higher burden of injury and morbidity. Fall prevention strategies should include these active older individuals at risk of high-level falls.
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Rondi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gelbard
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: kinaba@surgery.usc.edu.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inaba
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Obi T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Okoye
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morrell
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Zainab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Saadi
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Peep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Talving
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Demetrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Demetriades
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012887:Skull Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Falls; Geriatric trauma; Injury prevention