Monday, September 15, 2003
DON'T THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN....
From the Washington Post Older Women Now Surpass Young Men in Admissions. As the number of elderly rise and especially the number of elderly drivers increase, this will be more of a problem. Eldery people have worse outcomes for similar injuries than do younger patients.
This has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons in the latest update to ATLS:
Although there have not been substantial changes in the course content, there are changes to Chapter 10 (formerly Pediatric Trauma), which now is entitled "The Extremes of Age." The chapter is divided into two parts, one dealing with pediatric trauma and the other dealing with trauma in the elderly.
Even the "young" elderly have worse outcomes from traumatic injury. To paraphrase a great surgeon:
"There is nothing that brings a patient's physiological age in line with their chronological age faster than a major injury" |
From the Washington Post Older Women Now Surpass Young Men in Admissions. As the number of elderly rise and especially the number of elderly drivers increase, this will be more of a problem. Eldery people have worse outcomes for similar injuries than do younger patients.
This has been recognized by the American College of Surgeons in the latest update to ATLS:
Although there have not been substantial changes in the course content, there are changes to Chapter 10 (formerly Pediatric Trauma), which now is entitled "The Extremes of Age." The chapter is divided into two parts, one dealing with pediatric trauma and the other dealing with trauma in the elderly.
Even the "young" elderly have worse outcomes from traumatic injury. To paraphrase a great surgeon:
"There is nothing that brings a patient's physiological age in line with their chronological age faster than a major injury" |
