Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the Fall
Falls from a height are a common cause of polytrauma care in Level I Trauma Centers worldwide. The expected injury consequences depend on the height of the fall and the associated acceleration, as well as the condition of the ground. In addition, we further hypothesize a correlation between the caus...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/11/2307 |
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| author | Christoph Nau Maximilian Leiblein René D. Verboket Jason A. Hörauf Ramona Sturm Ingo Marzi Philipp Störmann |
| author_facet | Christoph Nau Maximilian Leiblein René D. Verboket Jason A. Hörauf Ramona Sturm Ingo Marzi Philipp Störmann |
| author_sort | Christoph Nau |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Falls from a height are a common cause of polytrauma care in Level I Trauma Centers worldwide. The expected injury consequences depend on the height of the fall and the associated acceleration, as well as the condition of the ground. In addition, we further hypothesize a correlation between the cause of the fall, the age of the patient, and the patient’s outcome. A total of 178 trauma patients without age restriction who were treated in our hospital after a fall >3 m within a 5-year period were retrospectively analyzed. The primary objective was a clinically and radiologically quantifiable increase in the severity of injuries after falls from different relevant heights (>3 m, >6 m, and >9 m). The cause of the fall, either accidental or suicidal; age and duration of intensive care unit stay, including duration of ventilation; and total hospital stay were analyzed. Additionally, the frequency of urgent operations, such as, external fixation of fractures or hemi-craniectomies, laboratory parameters; and clinical outcomes were also among the secondary objectives. Sustaining a thoracic trauma or pelvis fractures increases significantly with height, and vital parameters are significantly compromised. We also found significant differences in urgent pre- and in-hospital emergency interventions, as well as organ complications and outcome parameters depending on the fall’s height. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:03:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-02561cc1b9994e43924e93c7dd3322ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0383 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:03:02Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-02561cc1b9994e43924e93c7dd3322ae2023-11-21T21:21:36ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832021-05-011011230710.3390/jcm10112307Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the FallChristoph Nau0Maximilian Leiblein1René D. Verboket2Jason A. Hörauf3Ramona Sturm4Ingo Marzi5Philipp Störmann6Department of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyDepartment of Trauma, Hand, and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, GermanyFalls from a height are a common cause of polytrauma care in Level I Trauma Centers worldwide. The expected injury consequences depend on the height of the fall and the associated acceleration, as well as the condition of the ground. In addition, we further hypothesize a correlation between the cause of the fall, the age of the patient, and the patient’s outcome. A total of 178 trauma patients without age restriction who were treated in our hospital after a fall >3 m within a 5-year period were retrospectively analyzed. The primary objective was a clinically and radiologically quantifiable increase in the severity of injuries after falls from different relevant heights (>3 m, >6 m, and >9 m). The cause of the fall, either accidental or suicidal; age and duration of intensive care unit stay, including duration of ventilation; and total hospital stay were analyzed. Additionally, the frequency of urgent operations, such as, external fixation of fractures or hemi-craniectomies, laboratory parameters; and clinical outcomes were also among the secondary objectives. Sustaining a thoracic trauma or pelvis fractures increases significantly with height, and vital parameters are significantly compromised. We also found significant differences in urgent pre- and in-hospital emergency interventions, as well as organ complications and outcome parameters depending on the fall’s height.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/11/2307fallgreat heightinjury patternpelvic traumaspine injury |
| spellingShingle | Christoph Nau Maximilian Leiblein René D. Verboket Jason A. Hörauf Ramona Sturm Ingo Marzi Philipp Störmann Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the Fall Journal of Clinical Medicine fall great height injury pattern pelvic trauma spine injury |
| title | Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the Fall |
| title_full | Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the Fall |
| title_fullStr | Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the Fall |
| title_full_unstemmed | Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the Fall |
| title_short | Falls from Great Heights: Risk to Sustain Severe Thoracic and Pelvic Injuries Increases with Height of the Fall |
| title_sort | falls from great heights risk to sustain severe thoracic and pelvic injuries increases with height of the fall |
| topic | fall great height injury pattern pelvic trauma spine injury |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/11/2307 |
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