Causes of Death of Patients With Multiple Injuries in Debrecen, Hungary

This study examined the main causes of death of people who had multiple severe injuries. A retrospective study was done at a teaching hospital in Debrecen, Hungary in 1996. Subjects included 86 individuals with severe multiple injuries, 59 of whom died. Consumption of alcohol was a common precursor. Head & chest injuries predominated. More pedestrians than people in vehicles were killed. There were 8 suicides, all of whom died before reaching hospital, & 3 homicides. There were no gunshot injuries. The reduction of deaths from multiple injuries is as much a socioeconomic as a medical matter. (9 refs.)