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Updated: May 1, 2026
Murine Model of Controlled Cortical Impact for the Induction of Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 16, 2019
Deaths due to traumatic brain injury in Austria between 1980 and 2012
Walter Mauritz1, Alexandra Brazinova, Marek Majdan
1Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Trauma Hospital 'Lorenz Boehler' , Vienna , Austria .
Background:
To investigate changes in TBI mortality in Austria during 1980-2012 and to identify causes for these changes.
Methods:
Statistik Austria provided data (from death certificates) on all TBI deaths from January 1980-December 2012. Data included year/month of death, age, sex, residency of the cases and mechanism of accident. Data regarding the size of the age groups was obtained from Statistik Austria. Mortality rates (MR; deaths/10(5) population/year) were calculated for male vs. female patients and for different age groups. Changes in mechanisms of TBI were evaluated.
Results:
The MR decreased from 28.1 to 11.8 deaths/10(5) population/year. Traffic-related TBI deaths decreased from 62% to 9%. This caused a significant decrease in TBI deaths in younger age groups. Fall-related TBI deaths (mostly geriatric cases) remained unchanged. Falls became the leading cause; its rate increased from 22% to 64% of all TBI deaths. Thus, the mean age of fatal TBI cases increased by 20 years and the rate of cases aged <60 years decreased from 71% to 28%. Another important cause was suicide by firearms; its rate increased from 10% to 23% of all TBI deaths.
Conclusions:
These findings warrant better prevention of falls in the elderly and of suicides.
