A Retrospective Study of Geriatric Trauma at a Large Teaching Hospital After the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake

Background: On May 12, 2008, a large earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale struck Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China. To date, there has been no report specifically addressing the clinical features of traumatized geriatric patients in the earthquake. The objective of this study was to review the characteristics of injuries among aged inpatients and provide some experiences of emergency management for traumatized geriatric patients. Methods: Medical records of earthquake-related geriatric inpatients in West China Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Of the 1,856 inpatients, 400 (21.6%) were ≥ 65 years old. Extremity, trunk and head injuries were present in 240 (60.0%), 102 (25.5%), and 37 (9.2%) patients, respectively. Fracture (68.5%, n = 274) was the most common type of injury. The mortality of earthquake-related geriatric patients was 4.8%, which was higher than that of all earthquake-related patients. Conclusion: Fracture was the most common type of trauma and the extremities were the predominant sites among geriatrics after the Wenchuan earthquake. The mortality of elderly inpatients was higher than that of other age groups. Considering the difficulty and complexity of managing patients with earthquake-related injuries, a multidisciplinary team of physicians should be organized as soon as possible after an earthquake.