[Preventable deaths after severe trauma]

Abstract

A detailed analysis of 234 trauma patients who died after being admitted to the Department of Trauma Surgery in 1990-1996 has been performed in prospective studies. Among all fatalities multiple injuries have been diagnosed in 86 persons (36.7%) while single injuries have been found in 148 persons (63.3%). The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 18. Consequences of severe head injuries, cardio-pulmonary complications, shock and pulmonary artery embolism have been identified as the main causes of death. All fatal cases have been reviewed by a multidisciplinary panel of physicians and judged as nonpreventable or preventable. In 28 cases errors and deficiencies leading to death have been identified and thus the overall preventable death rate (PDR) was 11.9%. PDR has been much higher among multiply injured patients than in patients with single injuries. Preventable diagnostic errors and deficiencies in management of multiply injured patients have been committed mainly in the early resuscitative phase. A decrease of PDR in fatalities treated lately in our Department has been recorded. Other aspects concerning studies on preventability in trauma patients have been discussed.