Outcomes of trauma in centenarians.

INTRODUCTION: We present the first study specifically investigating outcomes of centenarian (age>100 years) trauma patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study over a 2-year period using data from patients' notes. Inclusion criteria were: admission to Poole Hospital, age of 100 years old or greater and history of sustaining trauma.
RESULTS: We used the hospital CaMIS database to identify patients aged 100 years and over who had incurred an injury. 24 patients met the entry criteria for the study: accounting for 26 admission episodes. 23 patients were female and 13 had sustained a fractured neck of femur. 10 patients underwent surgery and the rest were managed non-operatively. There were five inpatient deaths and the majority of the discharged patients returned to their original place of residence following treatment and rehabilitation. Overall mortality at 1 year was 10 out of 24. DISCUSSION: Our increasingly elderly population is leading to a growing burden upon the NHS. Admission of the extreme elderly trauma patient is becoming more commonplace and presents us with difficult management decisions. Orthopaedic/geriatric collaborative care is now the norm and should continue to develop and improve in the future.
CONCLUSION: The extreme elderly should be afforded the same consideration for operative treatment as younger patients and that age alone should not be relied upon as a determinant of treatment and management in these patients.