The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting in-hospital mortality among geriatric trauma patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) following a motor vehicle collision.

A retrospective cohort study was carried out in a high-volume tertiary care facility in the central Anatolian Region. Clinical data were extracted from hospital databases for all eligible geriatric patients (either driver, passenger or pedestrian) with entries dated between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the in-hospital mortality effects of variables including demographic characteristics, trauma mechanisms, injured body parts and various trauma scores.

There were 395 geriatric motor vehicle trauma presentations to the ED during the 3-year period. Of these patients, 371 (93.9%) survived, and 24 (6.1%) died in the ED, operating room or intensive care unit. The multivariate logistic regression model included the following variables: heart failure, cranial trauma, abdominal trauma, thoracic trauma, pelvic trauma, Glasgow Coma Score and Injury Severity Score (ISS). These variables were chosen because univariate analysis indicated that they were potential predictors of mortality. The multivariate logistic regression showed that the presence of heart failure (OR: 20.2), cranial trauma (OR: 3.6), abdominal trauma (OR: 26.9), pelvic trauma (OR: 9.9) and ISS (OR: 1.2) were predictors of in-hospital mortality in the study population.

In our study, heart failure, cranial trauma, abdominal trauma, pelvic trauma, and ISS were found to be the most important predictors of in-hospital mortality among geriatric motor vehicle trauma patients.