Serious Fall Injuries Common at the United States-Mexico Border

Dispersed geographical discharge may cause follow-up difficulties, authors say

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Trauma-causing fall injuries at the United States-Mexico border are common, according to a study published online Aug. 5 in Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open.

Sarah Lagan, from the University of California San Diego Health Sciences in La Jolla, and colleagues retrospectively reviewed data from patients admitted to an academic, level 1 trauma center after injury (fall) at the United States-Mexico border wall from 2021 to 2022.

The researchers identified 597 patients (mean age, 32.2 years; 75 percent male) injured while crossing the border wall. Patients represented 38 different countries but were mostly from Mexico (67.8 percent), Peru (3.9 percent), India (2.8 percent), El Salvador (2.3 percent), Cuba (2.2 percent), and Jamaica (2.0 percent). Nearly three-quarters of patients (74 percent) were discharged “home” within the United States, but discharge destinations were dispersed widely throughout the country.

“Previous work has shown that increased border wall height is associated with increased incidence, severity, and length of hospital stay for injuries sustained in border falls,” the authors write. “As many patients do not stay in the region of the discharge hospital, providers may see these patients follow up in communities remote from the United States-Mexico border. In treating patients from across the world with such injuries, our work highlights the need for culturally conscious, multilingual care with recognition of follow-up difficulties.”

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