Preventable Deaths Among Trauma Patients

• Authors: Dominika Kołodziejczyk-Wojtczak , Maciej Barzdo , Elżbieta Balcerzyk-Barzdo , Wojciech Gaszyński , Jarosław Berent , Dariusz Piotrowski
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the medical rescue service in the city of Łódź and its surrounding areas.Material and methods. The records of the forensic-medical postmortems conducted at the Institute of Forensic Medicine Medical University in Łódź in 2004 were analyzed. For further analysis, the cases of adults who died of mechanical injury resulting from an accident were chosen. Taking into consideration the autopsy diagnosis, the degree of the individual injuries was defined with the use of the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). Next, the Injury Severity Score (ISS) and the New Injury Severity Score (NISS) were calculated. In cases where specialist medical assistance was given, the medical documentation was analyzed, and the clinical condition of the injured was assessed using the Revised Trauma Scale (RTS), followed by estimation of the probability of survival with the use of the TRISS (Trauma Revised Injury Severity Score).Results and conclusions. Among the analyzed 194 cases of death caused by a mechanical injury resulting from an accident, 19 cases (9.8%) were recognized as preventable (ISS 0-14 or/and NISS 0-14 and/or TRISS >75%). It was established that the deaths assessed as preventable were caused by early or late injury complications, which even correct treatment cannot always prevent.

Keywords

EN

trauma; injury; preventable death; probability of survival; injury scales; injury severity score

• Publisher: Index Copernicus International
• Journal: Polish Journal of Surgery
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 80
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 139-145

Dates

published

1 - 3 - 2008

online

7 - 4 - 2008

Contributors

author

Dominika Kołodziejczyk-Wojtczak

• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Medical University, Łódź

author

Maciej Barzdo

• Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University, Łódź

author

Elżbieta Balcerzyk-Barzdo

• Department of Emergency and Trauma Medicine, Medical University, Łódź

author

Wojciech Gaszyński

• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Medical University, Łódź

author

Jarosław Berent

• Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University, Łódź

author

Dariusz Piotrowski

• Department of Emergency and Trauma Medicine, Medical University, Łódź

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• [PubMed]

Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/v10035-008-0016-3