Cost Associated with Geriatric Traumatic Brain Injury in Developing Countries: An Observational Study.

BACKGROUND

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the geriatric population is a serious public health problem and has a huge impact on mortality and morbidity.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study including patients aged above 65 admitted to a tertiary specialized trauma center, in the period from January 2016 to 31 December 2019. The data collected include patients' demographics, diagnosis, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on arrival, length of stay, investigations, and type of surgery done.

RESULTS

Total number of TBI cases in our study is 145. The most frequent single diagnosis was subdural hematoma (85). Subsequently, it was the costliest diagnosis with an average cost of 3569 USD per patient. Length of stay on average was 17.11 ± 41 hours, with the majority (109 patients) having nonprolonged hospital stay (<14 days). Most of those managed by observation have below-average costs compared to other patients (P < 0.001). Complete blood count was the highly requested test with a total cost 5070 $ in the study period. And head computed tomography had the highest total cost 58,864 $. 21 craniotomies and 30 burr holes were made with a total cost of 30,000 and 25,325 respectively. Patients with lower GCS (64.6%) have below-average hospitalization costs compared to those who got high GCS scores (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides the first estimates of the financial burden of Geriatric TBI in the region, which signifies the importance of developing strategies to prevent TBIs and help in resource allocation and healthcare policy formation.