Geriatric Trauma

The physiology of aging affects nearly every organ system including cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal and gastrointestinal. Altered physiology may also be associated with comorbid conditions including hypertension, cardiac, COPD, chronic renal disease and altered drug metabolism. American Geriatric Association has published a Criteria for potentially inappropriate medication in older adults that should be used in management of elderly trauma patients. Falls are the most common mechanism in elderly trauma patients. An Underreported injury in geriatric group is elderly abuse, which could be in a wide range of verbal insults, cuts and bruise and scratches to sexual abuse. Severely injured older patients may not display standard signs of hemodynamic instability, especially traumatic brain injury so imaging with head CT in elderly trauma patients should be used liberally.