World Trauma Day: Fractures During Pandemic Hurting Elderly Patients Harder

During the COVID-19 pandemic, World Trauma Day 2020 has highlighted the significance of reducing fracture among the elderly population, as it could result in long-term disability and can even lead to death.

While the coronavirus pandemic has led to a significant reduction in fracture patients' load among the younger population, the rate of fragility fractures among the elderly emerged as an area of concern, states the doctors on the eve of World Trauma Day.

There are reported deaths among aged patients who failed to get timely medical intervention for fractures suffered during the COVID lockdown and subsequently.

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‘The impact of fractures among aged people could be devastating, physically and mentally. Hence, ensuring treatment within the 'golden hour' of the incident is a must.’

There is an urgent need to improve awareness about the need to handle fractures to older people at the earliest.

Hip fractures in the elderly are devastating injuries that usually result in long-term disability and can even lead to death.

Elderly patients with fractures tied to medical co-morbidities like diabetes, COPD, hypertension, and obesity are severely affected by associated infections due to decreased functional reserves and weakened immune systems. Such patients should get operated on as soon as they are medically optimized.

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A fracture is a condition where the continuity of the bone is lost. Majority of bone fractures occur because of high force impact or stress on a bone.

"There is a significantly higher death risk in elderly patients with fractures, and hence they must only be operated in a facility with robust intensive care. Delay in ensuring appropriate treatment may result in permanent disability or even worse among the aged. Not just physical, such incidents could leave a strong adverse impact mentally. Hence, it is strongly advised that old-aged people are taken to hospital without much ado and given proper treatment," stated Dr. Sree Sowjanya Patibandla.

Traumatic injuries are a major cause of disability, and the ones caused to the brain leave patients exceptionally debilitating.

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"When it comes to the aged population, the impact is devastating in most cases. Delayed response at times is as good as no response, and it could be too late even for the medical fraternity to correct the damage."

Source-Medindia

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