Characteristics of patients who fell into open drains: a report from a single emergency center in East Shizuoka: Epidemiology of patients who fell into open drains in East Shizuoka.

AIM

To clarify the characteristics of injuries caused by falling into an open drain.

METHODS

A medical chart review was retrospectively carried out of all patients in East Shizuoka, Japan, who were injured due to falling into an open drain, and who were subsequently transported to hospital by ambulance or a physician-staffed helicopter, between January 2013 and December 2014. The patients were divided into two groups, those treated as outpatients and those who were admitted to hospital.

RESULTS

During the investigation period, there were 33 patients who had accidentally fallen into an open drain. The ages of the subjects ranged from 10 to 90 years, with an average age of 58.8 years. The average age of the subjects, the ratio of female patients, and the average injury severity score in the admission group were higher than that of the outpatient group. One patient in the admission group who had cardiac arrest due to a cervical cord injury eventually died.

CONCLUSION

Falls into open drains are especially frequent in elderly people and female patients, and older patients tend to more frequently require admission due to severe injury. To prevent injuries of this type, some measures are required to improve the safety of open drains.