Late deaths in multiple trauma patients receiving intensive care

What are Predictors of Mortality in Patients with Pelvic Fractures?

“…Therefore, the high incidence of these lethal injuries in our study explained the initial peek of deaths during the first 48 hour after trauma. In contrast, the second mortality peak of multiple trauma patients reported in the past was not that evident in our study [22,24,31]. This might have resulted from an improvement in critical care medicine, leading to a reduced incidence of secondary complications, like multiple organ failure and sepsis.…”

Deaths from trauma in London--a single centre experience

“…In our study, 49% of the deaths following day-1 post-admission were from CNS injury. A previous UK study of 101 ICU patients treated in a Bristol centre reported that, of patients who died after this period, 75% died from CNS causes,8 suggesting that the usual attribution of late-phase death due to multi-organ failure was not applicable in their experience.…”

Global changes in mortality rates in polytrauma patients admitted to the ICU—a systematic review

“…It can be divided in primary brain injury, resulting in direct neuronal damage from the accident, and in secondary injury occurring at a later stage due to hypoxemia, hypotension, seizures, and intra-cranial hypertension. Secondary injury is a major contributor to mortality [16,48]. According to Hadfield et al, secondary insults are preventable and treatable, and the main aim of critical care must be to prevent such secondary insults [16].…”

“…Secondary injury is a major contributor to mortality [16,48]. According to Hadfield et al, secondary insults are preventable and treatable, and the main aim of critical care must be to prevent such secondary insults [16]. However, hypoxemia and hypotension may remain important causes of mortality, as they are complications of massive hemorrhage, which often used to be fatal at the site of the accident or in the emergency department, but is not anymore.…”