Interhospital transfer of older adults with thoracic injury in Türkiye: a nationwide study

The increasing older adult population is raising the burden of trauma-related healthcare services, with thoracic trauma resulting in high mortality and long hospital stays in this group. Therefore, appropriate triage and interhospital transfer are critical for improving clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the data on the referral patterns of older adults with thoracic trauma in Turkey who were transferred by road and air. The patients’ age, gender, nationality, referring–receiving province and region, referral time, distance, and ICD-10 codes were retrospectively evaluated. The median age of the total 759 patients was 90, and 94.3% were transferred within the province. 92.8% of transfers were by road, and 7.2% were by air. The most common thoracic trauma was rib fracture (n = 395, 52%). Patients transported by air were younger (p < 0.001) and were transported over longer distances, particularly for out-of-provincial transfers (p < 0.001). Transfers during working hours were more likely to be done by air, while transfers outside of working hours were more likely to be done by road (p = 0.002). In regional analyses, the Marmara region had the highest number of road transfers, both for sending and receiving, totaling 184 (26.1%). The Southeastern Anatolia region was the most common referring region for air transport (n = 20, 36.4%), whereas the Central Anatolia region was the most common receiving region (n = 20, 36.4%). Interhospital transfer patterns in geriatric thoracic trauma patients in Türkiye demonstrate distinct differences based on transport modality, distance, and regional distribution. Air transport was more frequently used for longer-distance transfers and inter-regional referrals. However, regional referral differences suggest that trauma care needs to be strengthened, particularly in areas with limited capacity.