Patterns of trauma deaths in an accident and emergency unit

Trauma is a leading cause of death in most countries. Different patterns of trauma deaths are recorded in different countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the pattern of trauma deaths in the emergency unit of a University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria.

This is a descriptive, retrospective study. The data were obtained from patient case files and nurses' records. The data abstracted included age, sex, cause of trauma/death, parts of the body injured, time of death, and the duration of stay in the Accident and Emergency Unit (AEU).

A total of 5,537 cases presented to the AEU of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital between 01 January 2001 and 31 December 2004. Of these, 5,446 were due to trauma (98.4%). A total of 127 patients died (case fatality rate: 2.3%). Of the deaths, 81.9% were males. Motor vehicle crashes were the most frequent cause (54.3%), and drowning was the least common cause of trauma (0.8%). The most frequently injured region of the body was the head and neck (53.4%). A total of 67.4% of the deaths occurred within six hours of presentation to the AEU.

There is a great need for improved road safety, adequate pre-hospital medical care, and prompt transfer services for victims of trauma.