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Elderly patients should benefit from maximum care in cases of serious trauma, starting with pre-hospital care. A proper evaluation of the gravity of the trauma is an essential element in the management. The elderly are at risk of "under-triage", which can result in inappropriate hospital admission and delayed trauma care. Particular attention must be paid to "common" trauma, because such trauma is often associated with a potentially serious outcome in elderly patients. The Vittel criteria offer an important tool to estimate the level of gravity and to help in patient triage. The kinetic of the accident is important in identifying serious trauma. Emergency medical services with physicians on board must be the norm in cases of severe trauma, irrespective of the age of the patient. The literature clearly indicates the benefit of an aggressive strategy in elderly trauma patients, thus justifying direct admission in a trauma center in cases of real or potentially serious trauma. There is no difference in pre-hospital care management between elderly and younger trauma patients. Analgesia must be a priority. When a self-assessment of pain intensity is impossible, specific scales for pain can be used, such as Algoplus(®). Morphine titration is the recommended strategy for analgesia in the pre-hospital setting and the same protocol must be used for both the elderly and younger patients. Locoregional anaesthesia should be used when possible in this setting, in particular the ilio-facial block. Age is not a criterion for a non-resuscitation order in trauma patients. The decisions of limitation of therapeutic, if they were not anticipated, will be discussed after admission, according to the principles of the current legislation. |
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