TY - JOUR
T1 - The elderly patient with spinal injury
T2 - Treat or transfer?
AU - Barmparas, Galinos
AU - Cooper, Zara
AU - Haider, Adil H.
AU - Havens, Joaquim M.
AU - Askari, Reza
AU - Salim, Ali
PY - 2016/5/1
Y1 - 2016/5/1
N2 - Background The purpose of this investigation was to delineate whether elderly patients with spinal injuries benefit from transfers to higher level trauma centers. Methods Retrospective review of the National Trauma Data Bank 2007 to 2011, including patients > 65 (y) with any spinal fracture and/or spinal cord injury from a blunt mechanism. Patients who were transferred to level I and II centers from other facilities were compared to those admitted and received their definitive treatment at level III or other centers. Results Of 3,313,117 eligible patients, 43,637 (1.3%) met inclusion criteria: 19,588 (44.9%) were transferred to level I-II centers, and 24,049 (55.1%) received definitive treatment at level III or other centers. Most of the patients (95.8%) had a spinal fracture without a spinal cord injury. Transferred patients were more likely to require an intensive care unit admission (48.5% versus 36.0%, P <0.001) and ventilatory support (16.1% versus 13.3%, P <0.001). Mortality for the entire cohort was 7.7% (8.6% versus 7.1%, P <0.001) and significantly higher, at 21.7% for patients with a spinal cord injury (22.3% versus 21.0%, P <0.001). After adjusting for all available covariates, there was no difference in the adjusted mortality between patients transferred to higher level centers and those treated at lower level centers (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.05 [0.95-1.17], P = 0.325). Conclusions Transfer of elderly patients with spinal injuries to higher level trauma centers is not associated with improved survival. Future studies should explore the justifications used for these transfers and focus on other outcome measures such as functional status to determine the potential benefit from such practices.
AB - Background The purpose of this investigation was to delineate whether elderly patients with spinal injuries benefit from transfers to higher level trauma centers. Methods Retrospective review of the National Trauma Data Bank 2007 to 2011, including patients > 65 (y) with any spinal fracture and/or spinal cord injury from a blunt mechanism. Patients who were transferred to level I and II centers from other facilities were compared to those admitted and received their definitive treatment at level III or other centers. Results Of 3,313,117 eligible patients, 43,637 (1.3%) met inclusion criteria: 19,588 (44.9%) were transferred to level I-II centers, and 24,049 (55.1%) received definitive treatment at level III or other centers. Most of the patients (95.8%) had a spinal fracture without a spinal cord injury. Transferred patients were more likely to require an intensive care unit admission (48.5% versus 36.0%, P <0.001) and ventilatory support (16.1% versus 13.3%, P <0.001). Mortality for the entire cohort was 7.7% (8.6% versus 7.1%, P <0.001) and significantly higher, at 21.7% for patients with a spinal cord injury (22.3% versus 21.0%, P <0.001). After adjusting for all available covariates, there was no difference in the adjusted mortality between patients transferred to higher level centers and those treated at lower level centers (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.05 [0.95-1.17], P = 0.325). Conclusions Transfer of elderly patients with spinal injuries to higher level trauma centers is not associated with improved survival. Future studies should explore the justifications used for these transfers and focus on other outcome measures such as functional status to determine the potential benefit from such practices.
KW - Elderly
KW - Mortality
KW - Outcomes
KW - Spine injuries
KW - Transfers
KW - Trauma centers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84960982090&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84960982090&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jss.2015.12.032
DO - 10.1016/j.jss.2015.12.032
M3 - Article
C2 - 27083948
AN - SCOPUS:84960982090
SN - 0022-4804
VL - 202
SP - 58
EP - 65
JO - Journal of Surgical Research
JF - Journal of Surgical Research
IS - 1
ER -