Assessing geriatric patients with head injury in the emergency department using the novel level III trauma protocol

Intracranial injury in elderly patients presenting with minor head trauma is often overlooked in the emergency department (ED). Our suburban community-based level II trauma hospital developed and implemented the level III trauma protocol (L3TP) in January 2016 to better evaluate and diagnose intracranial injury in elderly patients presenting with minor head trauma after a fall. The L3TP requires that the ED physician immediately assess all patients meeting the following criteria 1) Age  ≥ 65 years old.
Source: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research