Analysis of Injury and Mortality Patterns in Deceased Patients with Road Traffic Injuries: An Autopsy Study

Despite improvements in prevention and rescue, mortality rates after severe blunt trauma continue to be a problem. The present study analyses mortality patterns in a representative blunt trauma population, specifically the influence of demographic, injury pattern, location and timing of death.

Patients that died between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2005 were subjected to a standardised autopsy.

death from blunt trauma due to road traffic injuries (Injury Severity Score ≥ 16), patients from a defined geographical area and death on scene or in hospital.

suicide, homicide, penetrating trauma and monotrauma including isolated head injury. Statistical analyses included Student's t test (parametric), Mann-Whitney U test (nonparametric) or Chi-square test.

A total of 277 consecutive injured patients were included in this study (mean age 46.1 ± 23 years; 67.5% males), 40.5% of which had an ISS of 75. A unimodal distribution of mortality was observed in blunt trauma patients. The most frequently injured body regions with the highest severity were the head (38.6%), chest (26.7%), or both head and chest (11.0%). The cumulative analysis of mortality showed that several factors, such as injury pattern and regional location of collisions, also affected the pattern of mortality.

The majority of patients died on scene from severe head and thoracic injuries. A homogenous distribution of death was observed after an initial peak of death on scene. Moreover, several factors such as injury pattern and regional location of collisions may also affect the pattern of mortality.