[Prognosis in elderly patients with falls treated in emergency departments: The EDEN-3 study]

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether falls in people ≥65 years old are a prognostic factor for adverse events compared to the rest of older patients who consult emergency departments, and identify factors related to a worse long-term evolution.

Method: EDEN cohort that included patients ≥65 years old. Those patients who consulted for fall and the rest were distinguished. Twelve variables were collected. For comparison: two groups matched by fall propensity score. We compared mortality at one year and combined adverse event post-discharge at one year. In patients with falls, variables independently related to evolution were identified.

Results: Two thousand seven hundred and forty-five patients treated for falls and 22,920 for other reasons. Mortality at one year was 14.4% (9.5% vs. 15.0%, respectively, P<.001) and the combined post-discharge adverse event at one year was 60.6% (52.2% vs. 61.7%, respectively, P<.001). In 4748 patients matched by fall propensity score (2372 in each group), the inverse association between consultation for fall and mortality (HR: 0.705, 95% CI: 0.5880.846) and post-discharge combined adverse event (0.758, 0.701-0.820) remained significant. Factors associated with mortality in patients with falls were ≥80 years (2.097, 1.521-2.891) and comorbidity (2.393, 1.574-3.636) while being female was a protective factor (0.758, 0.584-0.985). Between the factors associated with post-discharge combined adverse hospitalization in the index event was a protective factor (0.804, 0.685-0.943).

Conclusions: Patients over 65 years of age treated in the emergency room for falls have a better prognosis. Hospitalization was a protective factor of combined postdischarge adverse event.

Keywords: Caídas; Emergencies; Falls; Hospitalización; Hospitalization; Mortalidad; Mortality; Prognosis; Pronóstico; Urgencias.