Indian Journal of Neurosurgery (Feb 2017)
Neurotrauma in Old Aged: A Study from India
Abstract
Abstract Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is common in all the age groups. In India with increased life expectancy and more active old-aged population, basic details of neurotrauma in old aged are limited. The aim of the present study is to determine injury pattern and factors influencing outcome of the neurotrauma in old-aged patients, and also to contribute to national trauma data. Methods The study is based on prospective observational registry Towards Improved Trauma Care Outcomes (TITCO) database collected from four Indian government hospitals during October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2015. Data of neurotrauma patients aged 60 years or older were considered for analysis. SPSS version 24.0 was used for statistical analysis. The chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data with significance level of p < 0.05. Results Old-aged patients contributed for 1,629 (10.2%) of total neurotrauma data. Men were 2.4 times higher than women, but mortality was almost same in both the sexes. Approximately 860 (53%) of injuries were due to falls and 490 (30%) due to road traffic accidents (RTA). Approximately 708 (44%) of subjects patients had moderate to severe brain injuries. Approximately 1,136 (70%) of patients required CT scan and 435 (27%) of patients underwent brain surgery. Approximately 588 (36%) of patients expired during study period. There was significant (p = 0.0001) difference between mortality of old-aged and productive age group (19–59 years). The deaths between the two groups differed significantly (p = 0.0001) among sex, injury cause, severity, requirement of CT scan, and surgery. Conclusion Our study highlights that geriatric TBI is a significant phenomenon and reflects our national data. Possible risk factors associated with deaths are identified in our population. More research is needed to develop specific management and preventive protocols.
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