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Abstract
The incidence, distribution and clinical patterns of life-threatening and multiple
injuries were evaluated within an English Regional Health Authority area. Cases of
major injury were identified retrospectively for the 12 month period October 1988
to September 1989 using data from the 16 Accident and Emergency (A&E) units within
the Yorkshire Health Region, and coroners' records. There were 968 cases of fatal
and serious injury, meeting the criterion of an injury severity score greater than
15, 67 per cent (645) being due to road traffic incidents. Thirty-five per cent (337)
died at the scene or before reaching hospital, whilst 65 per cent (631) survived to
reach an A&E unit (0.082 per cent of the Region's annual A&E case load), 75 per cent
arriving outside of normal office hours. Eleven per cent (72) died prior to ward admission
and 34 per cent (213) were immediately transferred to a secondary medical referral
centre. Three hundred and sixty-seven patients (38 per cent) survived to be discharged
from acute hospital care whilst 188 (19 per cent) died as in-patients. Major injuries
were found to be distributed throughout the Authority area in rough proportion to
district population density with a regional incidence of 27 cases per 100 000. This
study has quantified a group of patients with very specific and specialized needs,
but further research and debate is required to decide how these needs are best met.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
August 4,
1994
Identification
Copyright
© 1995 Published by Elsevier Inc.
