Impact of frailty and anticoagulation status on readmission and mortality rates following falls in patients over 80.

Impact of frailty and anticoagulation status on readmission and mortality rates following falls in patients over 80. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2019 Apr;32(2):181-186 Authors: Hall C, Essler S, Dandashi J, Corrigan M, Muñoz-Maldonado Y, Juergens A, Wieters S, Drigalla D, Regner JL Abstract Falls are the leading cause of trauma-related mortality in geriatric patients. We hypothesized that frailty and anticoagulation status are risk factors for readmission and mortality following falls in patients >80 years. A retrospective review was performed on patients over 80 years old who presented to our level 1 trauma center for a fall and underwent a computed tomography of the head between January 2014 and January 2016. Frailty was assessed via the Rockwood Frailty Score. Clinical outcomes were death, readmission, recurrent falls, and delayed intracranial hemorrhage. Of 803 fall-related encounters, 173 patients over 80 years old were identified for inclusion. The 30-day readmission rate was 17.5% and was associated with an increased 6-month mortality (P = 0.01). One-year and 2-year mortality rates were 28% and 47%, respectively. Frailty was the strongest predictor of 6-month and overall mortality (P < 0.01). Anticoagulation status did not significantly influence these outcomes. The recurrent fall rate was 21%, and delayed intracranial hemorrhage did not occur in this study. Mortality of octogenarians after a fall is most influen...
Source: Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Tags: Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) Source Type: research