Trauma in the elderly: intensive care unit resource use and outcome.

TLDR: Age is confirmed as an independent predictor of outcome (mortality) in trauma after stratification for injury severity in this largest study of elderly trauma patients to date.

Abstract: Background: As the population ages, the elderly will constitute a prominent proportion of trauma patients. The elderly suffer more severe consequences from traumatic injuries compared with the young, presumably resulting in increased resource use. In this study, we sought to examine ICU resource use in trauma on the basis of age and injury severity. Methods: This study was a retrospective review of trauma registry data prospectively collected on 26,237 blunt trauma patients admitted to all trauma centers (n = 26) in one state over 24 months (January 1996-December 1997). Age-dependent and injury severity-dependent differences in mortality, ICU length of stay (LOS), and hospital LOS were evaluated by logistic regression analysis. Results: Elderly (age ≥ 65 years, n = 7,117) patients had significantly higher mortality rates than younger (age 65 years was associ ated with a two- to threefold increases mortality risk in mild (ISS 30) have decreased ICU resource use secondary to associated increased mortality rates.