Abstract
We sought to identify the incidence, injury patterns, and financial burden of ladder fall injuries to provide a reference for reinforcing guidelines on the prevention of such injuries. We enrolled the patients who were injured in a ladder-related fall and required intensive care between April 2012 and March 2014 at Okayama University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Okayama City: 9 patients injured in 7 stepladder falls and 2 straight ladder falls. The median patient age was 69 years, and 8 were males. Six falls occurred in non-occupational settings. Head injuries predominated, and the injury severity score ranged from 2 to 35 (mean = 21 ± 12). At the time of discharge from the intensive care unit, one patient had died and 5 patients had some neurological disabilities. The case fatality rate was 11%. The total cost of care during the review period was ¥16,705,794, with a mean cost of ¥1,856,199 per patient Ladder fall injuries are associated with a high rate of neurological sequelae and pose a financial burden on the health insurance system. A prevention education campaign targeting at older-aged males in non-occupational settings may be a worthwhile health service investment in this community.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 275-278 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Acta Medica Okayama |
| Volume | 69 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 |
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Keywords
- Accident prevention
- Accidental falls
- Hospital costs
- Injuries
- Ladder
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine(all)
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
Cite this
Characteristics and costs of ladder fall injuries : A report from a single emergency center in Okayama. / Nosaka, Nobuyuki; Goda, Yu; Knaup, Emily; Tsukahara, Kohei; Yumoto, Tetsuya; Ugawa, Toyomu; Ujike, Yoshihito.
In: Acta Medica Okayama, Vol. 69, No. 5, 2015, p. 275-278.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Characteristics and costs of ladder fall injuries
T2 - A report from a single emergency center in Okayama
AU - Nosaka, Nobuyuki
AU - Goda, Yu
AU - Knaup, Emily
AU - Tsukahara, Kohei
AU - Yumoto, Tetsuya
AU - Ugawa, Toyomu
AU - Ujike, Yoshihito
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - We sought to identify the incidence, injury patterns, and financial burden of ladder fall injuries to provide a reference for reinforcing guidelines on the prevention of such injuries. We enrolled the patients who were injured in a ladder-related fall and required intensive care between April 2012 and March 2014 at Okayama University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Okayama City: 9 patients injured in 7 stepladder falls and 2 straight ladder falls. The median patient age was 69 years, and 8 were males. Six falls occurred in non-occupational settings. Head injuries predominated, and the injury severity score ranged from 2 to 35 (mean = 21 ± 12). At the time of discharge from the intensive care unit, one patient had died and 5 patients had some neurological disabilities. The case fatality rate was 11%. The total cost of care during the review period was ¥16,705,794, with a mean cost of ¥1,856,199 per patient Ladder fall injuries are associated with a high rate of neurological sequelae and pose a financial burden on the health insurance system. A prevention education campaign targeting at older-aged males in non-occupational settings may be a worthwhile health service investment in this community.
AB - We sought to identify the incidence, injury patterns, and financial burden of ladder fall injuries to provide a reference for reinforcing guidelines on the prevention of such injuries. We enrolled the patients who were injured in a ladder-related fall and required intensive care between April 2012 and March 2014 at Okayama University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Okayama City: 9 patients injured in 7 stepladder falls and 2 straight ladder falls. The median patient age was 69 years, and 8 were males. Six falls occurred in non-occupational settings. Head injuries predominated, and the injury severity score ranged from 2 to 35 (mean = 21 ± 12). At the time of discharge from the intensive care unit, one patient had died and 5 patients had some neurological disabilities. The case fatality rate was 11%. The total cost of care during the review period was ¥16,705,794, with a mean cost of ¥1,856,199 per patient Ladder fall injuries are associated with a high rate of neurological sequelae and pose a financial burden on the health insurance system. A prevention education campaign targeting at older-aged males in non-occupational settings may be a worthwhile health service investment in this community.
KW - Accident prevention
KW - Accidental falls
KW - Hospital costs
KW - Injuries
KW - Ladder
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84947918698&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84947918698&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 26490024
AN - SCOPUS:84947918698
VL - 69
SP - 275
EP - 278
JO - Acta Medica Okayama
JF - Acta Medica Okayama
SN - 0386-300X
IS - 5
ER -