Falls from Height. Analysis of Predictors of Death in a Single-Center Retrospective Study

Abstract

Falls from height (FFH) represent a distinct form of blunt trauma in urban areas. This study aimed to identify independent predictors of in-hospital mortality after accidental or intentional falls in different age groups. We conducted a retrospective study of all patients consecutively admitted after a fall in eight years, recording mechanism, intentionality, height of fall, age, site, classification of injuries, and outcome. We built multivariate regression models to identify independent predictors of mortality. A total of 948 patients with 82 deaths were observed. Among the accidental falls, mortality was 5.2%, whereas intentional jumpers showed a mortality of 20.4%. The death rate was higher for increasing heights, age >65, suicidal attempts, and injuries with AIS ≥3 (Abbreviated Injury Scale). Older patients reported a higher in-hospital mortality rate. Multivariate analysis identified height of fall, dynamic and severe head and chest injuries as independent predictors of mortality in the young adults’ group (18–65 years). For patients aged more than 65 years, the only risk factor independently related to death was severe head injuries. Our data demonstrate that in people older than 65, the height of fall may not represent a predictor of death.

Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on severe trauma trends and healthcare system reassessment in Lombardia, Italy: an analysis from the regional trauma registry

“…The number of intentional jumpers pronounced dead on scene during the COVID-19 period was more than twofold compared to the no-COVID-19 time, even if a significant difference was not observed due to the small number of observations. As already reported by other studies [18,19], after a vertical deceleration trauma, intentional jumpers demonstrated a significantly higher mortality compared to accidental fallers (20.4% vs 5.2%).…”

Epidemiology of trauma admissions in a level 1 trauma center in Northern Italy: a nine-year study

“…To our knowledge, this is the largest epidemiological Italian study on the topic, providing a complete snapshot of demographics and injury distribution of trauma patients in Italy. The effect of a dedicated trauma system on patients' outcome has already been highlighted in several studies [29,30]. This study demonstrates that the centralization of trauma patients to the level 1 TC has increased considerably over the years, but this trend was not followed by a proportional increase in admission of severely injured patients, defined as ISS ≥ 16, with a consequent marked increase in overtriage.…”

“…To our knowledge, this is the largest epidemiological Italian study on the topic, providing a complete snapshot of demographics and injury distribution of trauma patients in Italy. The effect of a dedicated trauma system on patients’ outcome has already been highlighted in several studies [ 29 , 30 ].…”

The Influence of Walking Height and Width on the Gait

“…Fall from a height is the major accident type [1][2][3]. e spinal and head fractures can lead to severe disability or even death [4][5][6][7][8][9]. e recurrent mistake rate may even increase in people with accident experience.…”