Background: After a fall, the distance fallen is sometimes used to predict
the injury severity. We aimed to examine how distance fallen performs as a
predictor of major injury.
Method: A cohort of trauma victims attending our emergency department after
having fallen from a height was identified retrospectively, and data were
collected regarding the fall and injuries sustained. Performance of thresho
ld heights, ranging from 2 meters (6.6 feet) to 10 meters (32.8 feet), as a
diagnostic test for major injury was assessed.
Results: Height fallen performed poorly over the range of thresholds used.
At low thresholds, sensitivity was inadequate to rule out major trauma, whe
reas the low prevalence meant that, despite impressive specificity at highe
r thresholds, positive pre dictive value was poor. At the optimal threshold
of 5 meters (16.4 feet), the positive predictive value was 0.17 and sensit
ivity was 0.33,
Conclusion: Height of fall is a poor predictor of major injury.