Elders and Falls Lead TBI-Related ED Visits

Nearly 3 million emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths were related to traumatic brain injury (TBI) in 2013, according to researchers from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. The age-adjusted rate of ED visits was higher in 2013 than in 2007 (787.1 vs 534.4), a change driven largely by people aged ≥ 75 years, who accounted for 18% of the increase in the number of TBI-related ED visits.

Related: Ideas for Helping TBI Patients

The most common mechanisms of injury in the study were falls, being struck by or against an object, and motor-vehicle crashes. Particular age groups were disproportionately affected by specific mechanisms. The researchers say about half of all fall-related TBI visits/hospitalizations/deaths were among babies, toddlers, and adults aged > 75 years.

Those data suggest an urgent need for more and stronger fall-prevention efforts, say the researchers. In older adults, TBIs are more likely to lead to hospitalizations that can be complicated by comorbidities. Moreover, the researchers say, older adults are more likely to use anticoagulants, which can increase the likelihood of intracranial hemorrhage.

Related: Making Fall Prevention “Routine”

Prevention strategies that have proved effective in randomized controlled trials include multicomponent exercise programs, tai chi, vitamin D supplements, cataract surgery, and making the home environment safer. The CDC also has developed the Stopping Elderly Accidents Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) program, which incorporates empirically supported clinical guidelines and scientifically tested interventions to help primary care providers address fall risk and use effective interventions.