TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1981//
TI  - Avoidable factors contributing to the death of head injury patients in general hospitals in Mersey Region
JO  - Lancet
A1  - Jeffreys, R. V.
A1  - Jones, J. J.
SP  - 459
EP  - 461
VL  - 2
IS  - 8244
N2  - In 1975 and 1976 190 head injury patients died after admission to 19 general hospitals in Mersey Region or after transfer to the regional department of neurosciences. Their hospital case-notes were examined. Avoidable factors definitely contributing to death were identified in 58 (30%), and those possibly contributing to death in another 45 (24%). Of the avoidable factors 38% occurred in patients who "talked and died" and 77% in patients with intracranial haematomas. The most common avoidable factors were failure to recognise the development of a haematoma, respiratory difficulty leading to hypoxia, hypotension, and convulsions. The following recommendations are made: hospital case-notes of all head injury deaths should be assessed by a panel of senior consultants; all patients unconscious for 4 h in primary surgical wards in general hospitals should be transferred to the regional department of neurosciences; and fewer patients with minor head injuries should be admitted for observation.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0140-6736
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -