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Multiple blunt trauma after suicidal attempt: an analysis of 4,754 multiple severely injured patients
T Topp1, T Müller2, I Kiriazidis2
1Department of Trauma, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital Gießen and Marburg, Baldingerstraße 1, 35033, Marburg, Germany. tobiastopp@gmail.com.
Purpose:
The suicidal attempt is a significant cause for multiple severe injuries in Germany. The aim of the present study was to obtain information regarding injury patterns, clinical treatment, and outcome.
Methods:
We analyzed the data of 4,754 patients of the Trauma Registry of the German Trauma Society (1993-2007) with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥9 after a suicidal jump from a height (SUICIDE) and after an accidental fall from a height (ACCIDENT).
Results:
Comparing the data of 3,682 patients with accidental fall versus those with intentional fall/jump (n = 1,072), we found that male patients were predominant in the ACCIDENT group (84.9 vs. 52.2%). The SUICIDE group had more severe injuries (ISS: 31.8 vs. 26.4). The ACCIDENT group suffered more severe head injuries (51.1 vs. 36.6%). Mortality (21.4 vs. 14.2%), length of stay in hospital (29.5 vs. 26.5 days), and costs (€34,833 vs. €24,701) were higher in the SUICIDE group.
Conclusions:
Falls from a height are a common cause of injury among severely injured patients. The resulting trauma composes a particular form of blunt trauma with severe and multiple injuries, which depends on the fact of whether the free fall from a height was caused by an accident or as a result of a suicidal attempt. Taking the injury severity into consideration, there is no difference in the prognosis of the patients.