Changing trends in epidemiology and management of facial trauma in a Swiss geriatric population

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence and surgical treatment of facial fractures in a Swiss population aged 65 and over. BACKGROUND The knowledge of the characteristics of geriatric trauma may help to prevent injuries and better allocate clinical resources for the management of multimorbid patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 181 patients who presented at the Bern University Hospital in Switzerland from May 2012 to September 2016. Data on age, gender, aetiology and type of trauma, treatment and complications, co-morbidities and associated injuries were obtained. RESULTS Women were most frequently affected (55.2%). Mean age was 80 years. Zygomatic complex fractures were the most frequent type of fractures (37%), followed by isolated orbital fractures (27.6%). Falls were the most common cause of trauma (76.1%). Thirty-five per cent of all patients were taking anticoagulation or platelet aggregation medication. Hospitalisation was required in 88.4%, whereby 92.3% of the patients underwent surgical treatment. Surgery had to be performed immediately in three cases to treat compression of the optic nerve. Median hospital length of stay was 4 days, with 68% of patients returning to a domestic environment and 32% being transferred to another institution for further treatment. CONCLUSION The most common cause of facial injuries is a fall while standing in a domestic environment. Midface fractures were the most common type of fractures.