Increase in Alcohol Use Among the Geriatric Trauma Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Nathan A FojeBrett H WaibelOlabisi O SheppardAbigail P JosefZachary M BaumanCharity H EvansMark E HamillPublished in: The American surgeon (2023)
The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on the everyday behaviors of all patients. At the same time, the United States population is aging, and an increasing portion of traumatically injured patients are geriatric. Our study aims to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the geriatric trauma population. We performed a retrospective review of the trauma database from our single institution level I trauma center examining pandemics impact on geriatric trauma demographics, mechanism of injury, injury severity, hospitalization characteristics, and alcohol use. Data during the pandemic was compared to the prior 3 years and controlled for seasonality. Statistical analysis demonstrated an increase in duration of mechanical ventilation and alcohol use during the pandemic while other factors remained stable. This shows the need for targeted alcohol assessment in the geriatric trauma population during periods of social isolation and additional research into the effects of the COVID-19 on trauma patients.
Keyphrases
- trauma patients
- coronavirus disease
- sars cov
- mechanical ventilation
- hip fracture
- end stage renal disease
- chronic kidney disease
- intensive care unit
- acute respiratory distress syndrome
- newly diagnosed
- intellectual disability
- patient reported outcomes
- extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
- big data
- respiratory failure
- adverse drug