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Development of Statewide Geriatric Patients Trauma Triage Criteria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 August 2011

Howard A. Werman ,
Timothy Erskine ,
Jeffrey Caterino ,
Jane F. Riebe  and
Tricia Valasek
Howard A. Werman
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio USA
Timothy Erskine*
Affiliation:
Ohio Department of Public Safety, Columbus, Ohio USA
Jeffrey Caterino
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio USA
Jane F. Riebe
Affiliation:
Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio, Toledo, Ohio USA
Tricia Valasek
Affiliation:
National Association of Local Boards of Health, Bowling Green, Ohio USA
*
Correspondence: Timothy Erskine Ohio Department of Public SafetyEMS Division, 1970 West Broad StreetColumbus, OH 43223 USA E-mail: terskine@dps.state.oh.us
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Abstract

Introduction: The geriatric population is unique in the type of traumatic injuries sustained, physiological responses to those injuries, and an overall higher mortality when compared to younger adults. No published, evidence-based, geriatric-specific field destination criteria exist as part of a statewide trauma system. The Trauma Committee of the Ohio Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Board sought to develop specific criteria for geriatric trauma victims.

Methods: A literature search was conducted for all relevant literature to determine potential, geriatric-specific, field-destination criteria. Data from the Ohio Trauma Registry were used to compare elderly patients, defined as age >70 years, to all patients between the ages of 16 to 69 years with regards to mortality risk in the following areas: (1) Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score; (2) systolic blood pressure (SBP); (3) falls associated with head, chest, abdominal or spinal injury; (4) mechanism of injury; (5) involvement of more than one body system as defined in the Barell matrix; and (6) co-morbidities and motor vehicle collision with one or more long bone fracture. For GCS score and SBP, those cut-off points with equal or greater risk of mortality as compared to current values were chosen as proposed triage criteria. For other measures, any criterion demonstrating a statistically significant increase in mortality risk was included in the proposed criteria.

Results: The following criteria were identified as geriatric-specific criteria: (1) GCS score <14 in the presence of known or suspected traumatic brain trauma; (2) SBP <100 mmHg; (3) fall from any height with evidence of traumatic brain injury: (4) multiple body-system injuries; (5) struck by a moving vehicle; and (6) the presence of any proximal long bone fracture following motor vehicle trauma. In addition, these data suggested that elderly patients with specific co-morbidities be given strong consideration for evaluation in a trauma center.

Conclusions: The state of Ohio is the first state to develop evidence-based geriatric-specific field-destination criteria using data from its state-mandated trauma registry. Further analysis of these criteria will help determine their effects on over-triage and under-triage of geriatric victims of traumatic injuries and the impact on the overall mortality in the elderly.

Keywords

emergency medical servicesgeriatricOhiotraumatrauma centertrauma registry
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , June 2011 , pp. 170 - 179
Copyright
Copyright Werman © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2011

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