Abstract:

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in mortality between young and elderly polytrauma patients. Materials and Methods: In the present study, all consecutive polytrauma patients treated at our hospital between January 2014 and December 2018 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients younger than 65 years old were classified as Group I (n = 60), and patients aged 65 years and older were classified as Group II (n = 60). Age, gender, mechanism of injury, time of injury, injury severity score (ISS), preclinical hemodynamics, hospitalization, operative treatment, intubation rate, intensive care unit (ICU) treatment, and 1-year mortality were analyzed. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) were calculated. Results: The mean age was 36.6 ± 13.0 (18–64) years in Group I and 73.5 ± 7.4 (56–91) years in Group II. There was no difference in mortality rates between groups. Elderly polytrauma patients tend to be female, and lower ISS and higher blood pressure, as well as low-energy injury types, typically in the summer. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between mortality and ISS scores in both Group I and Group II. There was no statistically significant difference was found between elderly and younger polytrauma patients in terms of NLR, MLR, and SIRI scores. Conclusion: Elderly polytrauma patients are not just older adults, and there are several differences between them and their younger counterparts. The existing differences in the treatment of elderly polytrauma patients need to be considered during decision making.

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