• Ayman El-Menyar, Ahammed Abdulla Mekkodathil, Eman Elmenyar, Bassem Gomaa, Husham Abdelrahman, Rafael Consunji, Aisha Abeid, Ruben Peralta, Başar Cander, and Hassan Al-Thani.
• Department of Surgery, Trauma Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation and Weill Cornell Medical College, Doha-Qatar.
• Ulus Travma Acil Cer. 2023 Mar 1; 29 (3): 284291284-291.

BackgroundInjuries caused by falls from heights (FFH) and fall of heavy objects (FHO) in residential settings are underestimat-ed in the Middle East. We aimed to describe the fall-related injuries at home requiring admission at a level 1 trauma center.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who were admitted following fall-related injuries at home between 2010 and 2018. Comparative analyses were performed based on age groups (<18, 19-54, 55-64, and ≥65 years), gender, severity of injuries, and height of fall. Time series analysis of fall-related injuries was performed.ResultsA total of 1402 patients were hospitalized due to fall-related injuries occurred at home (11% of total trauma admissions). Three quarters of victims were male. The most injured subjects were young and middle-aged (41.6%), followed by pediatric (37.2%) and elderly subjects (13.6%). FFH was the most frequent mechanism of injury (94%) followed by FHO (6%). Head injury was most common (42%) followed by lower extremity injury (19%). Older adults (≥65 years) had more complications, longer hospital stay, and higher in-hospital mortality. Patients who fell from greater heights had more chest and spinal injuries with greater severity and longer stay in the hospital. Time-series analysis did not show a seasonal variation of fall-related hospitalization.ConclusionThis study showed that 11% of trauma hospitalizations were related to fall at home. FFH was common in all age groups; however, FHO was more evident in the pediatric group. Preventive efforts should address the circumstances of trauma in the residential settings to better inform evidence-based prevention strategies.

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