The population is ageing and thus our ‘typical’ trauma patient is also changing. In 2017 the TARN report “Major injury in older people” highlighted the following issues:
- The typical major trauma patient: has changed from a young and male to being an older patient.
- Older Major Trauma Patients (ISS>15): A fall of <2m is the commonest mechanism of injury
- Triage/Recognition of ‘Silver Trauma’ is POOR
- Pre-hospital: Not identified hence taken to TU’s (Here) not MTC’s (Leeds).
- The ED: Often seen by Junior Staff and endure significant treatment delays.
- Hospital: Much less likely to be transferred to specialist care.
- Outcomes: More likely to die, but those who survive have similar levels of disability to younger people.
