Author(s)

Udo E. Anyaehie¹, Osita Ede^1*, Obiora N. Muoghalu¹, Gabriel O. Eyichukwu¹, Emmanuel O. Agbo¹, Erutase D. Ubiomo¹, Nnamdi C. Ofodile², Chidinma L. Ngwangwa¹, Babatunde O. Ojus¹, Solomon O. Anigbamkpu³, Cyprian C. Nganwuchu¹

¹Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.
²Department of Orthopaedics, Cedarcrest Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.
³Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.

Geriatric trauma patients require special consideration. They frequently have comorbidities and reduced physiologic reserves, influencing treatment decisions and outcomes. Hence, a comprehensive approach is fundamental to ensure better results. The authors retrospectively evaluated the profile of 332 cases of geriatric trauma over ten years (January 2010-December 2019) at National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu, in South-East Nigeria. The mean age of patients was 74.78 years (SD = 8.69), with females presenting at a later age than men (76.05 vs 73.69 years), p = 0.013. The commonest mechanism of injury was ground-level fall (47.59%), with proximal femoral fractures being the most common (41.27%). Only 47% of geriatric patients presented to a hospital within 24 hours following injury, and the mean duration of admission was 28 days. Approximately 77% of patients had operative care, and 68.67% expressed satisfaction with the outcome of their management. The mortality rate was 2.11%. In conclusion, most geriatric fractures require surgical intervention and education to facilitate early hospital presentation is needed.

Geriatric, Trauma, Developing Country

Anyaehie, U. , Ede, O. , Muoghalu, O. , Eyichukwu, G. , Agbo, E. , Ubiomo, E. , Ofodile, N. , Ngwangwa, C. , Ojus, B. , Anigbamkpu, S. and Nganwuchu, C. (2022) Profile of Geriatric Trauma in a Developing Country. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 10, 132-147. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2022.109010.