Assessing geriatric patients with head injury in the emergency department using the novel level III trauma protocol.

Introduction: Intracranial injury in elderly patients presenting with minor head trauma is often overlooked in the emergency department (ED). Our suburban community-based level II trauma hospital developed and implemented the level III trauma protocol (L3TP) in January 2016 to better evaluate and diagnose intracranial injury in elderly patients presenting with minor head trauma after a fall. The L3TP requires that the ED physician immediately assess all patients meeting the following criteria 1) Age ≥ 65 years old.

Case Report of the Unusual Presentation of Stridor in an Elderly Patient Following a Cervical Fracture.

Unlabelled: This report describes a unique presentation of stridor in an elderly patient who presented to the emergency department (ED) with neck and back pain after a fall down a flight of stairs. The patient had no airway issues on initial evaluation in the resuscitation room, but developed stridor and respiratory distress after returning from imaging. The unexpected stridor and respiratory distress were alleviated with basic airway maneuvers that included airway repositioning and a breathing treatment.