Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39856318›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society2025

In the last 10 years, have our polytrauma patients become geriatric? The emergency trauma bay in the context of demographic change.

Sabrina Bindrich, Thomas Mittlmeier, Steffi S I Falk

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. The silver tsunami and the elective arthroplasty crisis: How geriatric trauma overruns public surgical capacity.Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sabrina BindrichClinic of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Rostock, Schillingallee 35, 18055, Rostock, Germany.
Thomas MittlmeierClinic of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Rostock, Schillingallee 35, 18055, Rostock, Germany.
Steffi S I FalkClinic of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Rostock, Schillingallee 35, 18055, Rostock, Germany. steffi.falk@med.uni-rostock.de.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0584-343X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOne of the key challenges trauma centres are currently facing is the management of polytraumata in an ageing population. The aim of this study is to assess the extent to which demographic changes are reflected in the trauma bay population and the impact on geriatric polytrauma patient outcomes.

methodsThis is a retrospective single-centre cohort study of a level one trauma centre in Germany. The data were collected from the DGU TraumaRegister. All patients exhibiting vital signs who were primarily admitted to the trauma bay were included in the study. Patient characteristics were compared for years 2011 and 2021. Polytrauma was defined as ISS > 15, and patients aged 65 and over were assigned to the geriatric group.

resultsThe study included 214 patients. During the study period, there was a significant increase in the mean age of patients (from 47.7 to 55.9 years) and in the proportion of geriatric patients (from 30.37 to 40.51%). Injury severity, as measured by the Injury Severity Score (ISS), also increased significantly. In the entire patient population, the proportion of patients discharged to their place of residence decreased, while the hospital mortality (2011: 9.63%; 2021: 21.52%) increased.

conclusionsThe ageing trauma bay population presents new challenges for medical staff, because polypharmacy, multiple comorbidities and frailty become more significant in an ageing population. Enhanced interdisciplinary management, particularly between trauma and geriatric specialists, may mitigate rising mortality rates. Geriatric trauma centres or at least more geriatric expertise might be required to improve the treatment and outcome in this changing population.

Indexed as

Multiple TraumaTrauma CentersAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleGermanyHospital MortalityHumansInjury Severity ScoreMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesGeriatric patientsPolytraumaTrauma centerTraumatologyTR-DGU

Identifiers

PMID39856318
PMCPMC11762218

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.