Preventable traumatic deaths in children

In order to discern the frequency of preventable traumatic deaths in children, the medical examiners' records of 118 consecutive traumatic deaths (except burns and drownings) in children up to 15 years of age in metropolitan St. Louis were reviewed between 1977 and 1981. Thirty-eight different hospitals were involved in the case of these patients. Where possible, victims were assigned a Modified Injury Severity Score (MISS). Twenty-five percent of the deaths unassociated with neurological damage were deemed preventable. The frequency of preventable deaths and the excessive number of hospitals involved suggests that pediatric surgeons should become involved in the development of regionalized trauma care, lending their expertise to the development of triage and treatment protocols for injured children.