PREHOSPITAL DEATHS IN THE YORKSHIRE HEALTH REGION

Objectives-To estimate the proportion of prehospital deaths in a Briti sh population of trauma victims which may be preventable, and to inves tigate the effect of death at the scene and death in transit on potent ial survivorship. Methods-Blinded review, by four specialists with an interest in trauma, of necropsy results and details of age, sex, and m echanism of injury for prehospital trauma deaths in the Yorkshire Heal th Region in a 12 month period. Results-Complete records were traced o n 305 of 337 trauma deaths, 190 being recorded as dead on arrival of e mergency services and 115 dead on arrival at hospital. In the group de clared dead at the scene, three of the four assessors considered 93% o f deaths to have been inevitable and only 2% as potential survivors (2 5% of this group sustaining inevitably fatal injuries such as brain av ulsion or decapitation). In the group dead on arrival 81% were felt to be inevitable deaths and 5% potential survivors. Conclusions-There se ems to be less scope for salvage of victims of trauma death in a Briti sh population than has been recorded in America, possibly due to a hig her proportion of blunt trauma deaths here. Those who die in transit c onsist of a less severely injured group with a higher potential for su rvival.