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Analysis of Injury and Mortality Patterns in Deceased Patients with Road Traffic Injuries: An Autopsy Study

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Abstract

Background

Despite improvements in prevention and rescue, mortality rates after severe blunt trauma continue to be a problem. The present study analyses mortality patterns in a representative blunt trauma population, specifically the influence of demographic, injury pattern, location and timing of death.

Methods

Patients that died between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2005 were subjected to a standardised autopsy. Inclusion criteria: death from blunt trauma due to road traffic injuries (Injury Severity Score ≥ 16), patients from a defined geographical area and death on scene or in hospital. Exclusion criteria: suicide, homicide, penetrating trauma and monotrauma including isolated head injury. Statistical analyses included Student’s t test (parametric), Mann–Whitney U test (nonparametric) or Chi-square test.

Results

A total of 277 consecutive injured patients were included in this study (mean age 46.1 ± 23 years; 67.5% males), 40.5% of which had an ISS of 75. A unimodal distribution of mortality was observed in blunt trauma patients. The most frequently injured body regions with the highest severity were the head (38.6%), chest (26.7%), or both head and chest (11.0%). The cumulative analysis of mortality showed that several factors, such as injury pattern and regional location of collisions, also affected the pattern of mortality.

Conclusions

The majority of patients died on scene from severe head and thoracic injuries. A homogenous distribution of death was observed after an initial peak of death on scene. Moreover, several factors such as injury pattern and regional location of collisions may also affect the pattern of mortality.

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Abbreviations

ISS:

Injury Severity Score

AIS:

Abbreviated Injury Scale

ICU:

Intensive care unit

MOD:

Multiple organ dysfunction

RTC:

Road traffic collisions

RTI:

Road traffic injuries

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, 8091, Zurich, Switzerland

    Roman Pfeifer, Sylvia Schick, Christopher Holzmann, Michel Teuben & Hans-Christoph Pape

  2. Institute of Legal Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Nußbaumstraße 26, 80336, Munich, Germany

    Christopher Holzmann & Matthias Graw

Authors
  1. Roman Pfeifer
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  2. Sylvia Schick
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  3. Christopher Holzmann
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  4. Matthias Graw
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  5. Michel Teuben
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  6. Hans-Christoph Pape
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roman Pfeifer.

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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Pfeifer, R., Schick, S., Holzmann, C. et al. Analysis of Injury and Mortality Patterns in Deceased Patients with Road Traffic Injuries: An Autopsy Study. World J Surg 41, 3111–3119 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-017-4122-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00268-017-4122-4

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