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Table 1 Baseline characteristics

From: Differences in characteristics between patients ≥ 65 and < 65 years of age with orthopaedic injuries after severe trauma

Variable

Group 1, age < 65 years

Group 2, age ≥ 65 years

P value

Total

n = 128 (73%)

n = 47 (27%)

(n = 175)

Male (%)

104 (81%)

38 (81%)

1.00#

142 (81%)

Age

    

 Mean (SD)

39.5 (15.2)

73.3 (6.2)

 

48.6 (20.1)

 Median (IQR)

41 (25–53)

72 (68–77)

 

50 (29–66)

 Range

4–64

65–91

 

4–91

ASA PS classification

    

 Median (IQR)

1 (1–2)

2 (1–2.5)

< 0.01+

1 (1–2)

 ASA 1

84 (66%)

14 (30%)

 

98 (56%)

 ASA 2

27 (21%)

20 (43%)

 

47 (27%)

 ASA 3

5 (4%)

11 (23%)

 

16 (9%)

 Unknown

12 (9%)

2 (4%)

 

14 (8%)

ISS

    

 Mean (SD)

25.8 (9.4)

24 (7.8)

0.24*

25.3 (9.0)

 Median (IQR)

22 (18–30)

22 (17–29)

0.27+

22 (17–29)

 Range

16–57

17–51

 

16–57

NISS

    

 Mean (SD)

30 (12.1)

27 (8.6)

0.07*

29.2 (11.3)

 Median (IQR)

27 (22–34)

27 (21–33)

0.29+

27 (22–34)

 Range

16–75

17–54

 

16–75

Mechanism of injury

  

< 0.01#

 

 Traffic-related

68 (53%)

19 (40%)

 

87 (50%)

 High-energy fall

46 (36%)

18 (38%)

 

64 (37%)

 Low-energy fall

0

7 (15%)

 

7 (4%)

 Hit by blunt object

9 (7%)

1 (2%)

 

10 (6%)

 Penetrating

1 (1%)

1 (2%)

 

2 (1%)

 Other

4 (3%)

1 (2%)

 

5 (3%)

Work related injury

17 (13%)

4 (9%)

0.66#

21 (12%)

 Unknown

2 (2%)

1 (2%)

 

3 (2%)

Location of main injury

  

< 0.01#

 

 Thorax

29 (23%)

21 (45%)

 

50 (29%)

 Head

25 (20%)

10 (21%)

 

35 (20%)

 Pelvis

17 (13%)

5 (11%)

 

22 (13%)

 Abdomen

21 (16%)

0

 

21 (12%)

 Spinal column

14 (11%)

5 (11%)

 

19 (11%)

 Extremities

15 (12%)

3 (6%)

 

18 (10%)

 Neck

4 (3%)

3 (6%)

 

7 (4%)

 Burns

3 (2%)

0

 

3 (2%)

Orthopaedic injuries

    

 Mean (SD)

2.3 (1.4)

2.1 (1.0)

0.29*

2.3 (1.3)

 Median (IQR)

2 (1–3)

2 (1–3)

0.88+

2 (1–3)

 Range

1–7

1–4

 

1–7

Location of orthopaedic injury

  

0.11#

 

 Spinal column

78 (26%)

33 (33%)

 

111 (28%)

 Pelvis

38 (13%)

16 (16%)

 

54 (14%)

 Upper extremity

82 (28%)

30 (30%)

 

112 (28%)

 Lower extremity

97 (33%)

20 (20%)

 

117 (30%)

Open injury

23 (18%)

3 (6%)

0.06#

26 (15%)

Operative treatment of orthopaedic injury

95 (74%)

25 (53%)

0.01#

120 (69%)

External fixation

27 (28%)

5 (20%)

0.60#

32 (27%)

 Not an option

26 (27%)

9 (36%)

 

35 (29%)

Days to operative treatment at HUHa)

    

 Mean (SD)

1.99 (3.9)

2.32 (3.5)

0.70*

2.06 (3.8)

 Median (IQR)

0 (0–2)

1 (0–3.5)

0.24+

0.5 (0–3)

 Range

0–20

0–16

 

0–20

Highest level of treatment

  

0.96#

 

 Emergency department

2 (2%)

1 (2%)

 

3 (2%)

 Ward

7 (6%)

2 (4%)

 

9 (5%)

 Operating room

3 (2%)

2 (4%)

 

5 (3%)

 Postoperative care unit

55 (43%)

19 (40%)

 

74 (42%)

 Intensive care unit

61 (48%)

23 (49%)

 

84 (48%)

LOS in ICU

    

 Mean (SD)

3.4 (6.7)

3.9 (5.6)

0.64*

3.5 (6.4)

 Median (IQR)

0 (0–5)

2 (0–7)

0.40+

0 (0–5)

 Range

0–57

0–23

 

0–57

LOS in hospitalb)

    

 Mean (SD)

15.2 (14.1)

14.2 (13.1)

0.68*

14.9 (13.8)

 Median (IQR)

11 (8–18)

13 (6–16)

0.69+

11.5 (8–17)

 Range

1–109

1–84

 

1–109

Mortality after 30 days

4 (3%)

7 (15%)

< 0.01#

11 (6%)

  1. Baseline characteristics of all patients admitted to HUH with an ISS > 15 and an orthopaedic injury during the period 2016–2018
  2. Missing data for Groups 1 and 2: (a) Days to operative treatment at HUH, 4% and 0%. (b) LOS in hospital, 1% and 4%
  3. ASA PS classification American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, ISS injury severity score, NISS new injury severity score, HUH Haukeland University Hospital, LOS in ICU length of stay in the intensive care unit, SD standard deviation, IQR interquartile range
  4. *Independent samples t-test
  5. +Mann–Whitney U test
  6. #Pearson´s chi-square test
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Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine

ISSN: 1757-7241