Fall-Related Emergency Department Admission: Fall Environment and Settings and Related Injury Patterns in 6357 Patients with Special Emphasis on the Elderly

Principals. Throughout the world, falls are a major public health problem and a socioeconomic burden. Nevertheless there is little knowledge about how the injury types may be related to the aetiology and setting of the fall, especially in the elderly. We have therefore analysed all patients presenting with a fall to our Emergency Department (ED) over the past five years. Methods. Our retrospective data analysis comprised adult patients admitted to our Emergency Department between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2010, in relation to a fall. Results. Of a total of 6357 patients 78% (n=4957) patients were younger than 75 years. The main setting for falls was patients home (n=2239, 35.3%). In contrast to the younger patients, the older population was predominantly female (56.3% versus 38.6%; P<0.0001). Older patients were more likely to fall at home and suffer from medical conditions (all P<0.0001). Injuries to the head (P<0.0001) and to the lower extremity (P<0.019) occurred predominantly in the older population. Age was the sole predictor for recurrent falls (OR 1.2, P