Craniomaxillofacial trauma
Geriatric Craniomaxillofacial Fractures: Where do They Happen and Why?

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Purpose

The geriatric population is a constantly growing population that is especially vulnerable to trauma. The primary purpose of this study was to determine what factors are associated with increased rates of hospital admission in geriatric patients who sustain craniomaxillofacial fractures secondary to falls.

Materials and Methods

This is a 5-year retrospective cross-sectional study that was conducted using the NEISS database. There were several, heterogenous predictor variables. The primary outcome variable was admission rate, which was used as a proxy to the severity of injury. Patient and injury characteristics were compared using chi-square and independent-sample t-tests. Binary logistic regression was conducted to determine the risk of hospital admission.

Results

The final sample included 2,879 cases in total. The mean age of the study sample was 78.8 years (SD, 8.6 years). Most patients were white (51.6%) females (64.2%) who were injured at their respective homes (58.7%). Relative to injuries that took place at a sports center, injuries that took place at the patient's home (OR, 2.52; P < .05) independently increased the risk for admission. Relative to maxilla fracture, orbital bone fracture (OR, 3.91; P < .05) was an independent risk factor for admission. Relative to lacerations, intracranial injuries (OR, 3.76; P < .01) increased the risk of admission.

Conclusions

Craniomaxillofacial fractures that took place at the patients' home were at increased risk for admission. Orbital bone fractures and intracranial injuries were at increased risk for admission. From our, and other studies findings, screening and fall prevention interventions should be implemented amongst the geriatric population.

Section snippets

Study Design

This is a 5-year (January 2015 through December 2019) retrospective, cross-sectional study that was conducted using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) maintained by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The NEISS acquires data from 100 hospitals, all of which maintain 24-hour emergency departments with at least 6 beds in the United States. This dataset is publicly available and contains data on injuries, including consumer products, sports, and recreational

Results

The final sample consisted of 2,879 geriatric patients who sustained craniomaxillofacial fractures secondary to falls. The mean age of the study sample was 78.75 years (SD, 8.57). There were slightly more females (64.2%) than males (35.8%). The most common racial group was White (51.6%). The incidence of fractures was equally distributed across the seasons of the year. Most injuries occurred at the patient's home (58.7%). Intracranial injury (5.6%) was the most common concomitant injury (Table 2

Discussion

The purpose of this study was to quantify risk factors for hospitalization among geriatric patients who sustain craniomaxillofacial fractures secondary to falls. The authors hypothesized increased age would be a risk factor for hospital admission. Ultimately, the null hypothesis was not rejected since age did not increase the risk for hospital admission relatively. Nevertheless, the authors determined several risk factors for admission. Patients who sustained the craniomaxillofacial fracture at

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  • Cited by (1)

    Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None of the authors have any relevant financial relationship(s) with a commercial interest.

    R

    US/CA OMS resident.

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