Traumatic deaths in the Sheffield and Barnsley areas

The details of inquests concerning 104 deaths due to trauma were studied in the Sheffield and Barnsley Coroner's district for the year 1986. Fifty-four of these patients did not reach hospital alive. In those patients where some form of resuscitation was attempted, the hospital notes were reviewed and the deaths occurring unexpectedly were identified using TRISS methodology. This method uses the Trauma Score, the Injury Severity Score and the patient's age to predict the probability of survival in an injured patient. It showed that some of the deaths were unexpected and the implications of these findings are discussed.