Causes of death of patients with multiple injuries in Debrecen, Hungary

Objective: To find out the main causes of death of people who had multiple severe injuries. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, Hungary. Subjects: 86 people with severe multiple injuries, of whom 59 died and had necropsies. Main outcome measure: Establishment of a database. Results: Consumption of alcohol was a common precursor. Head and chest inju ries predominated. More pedestrians than people in vehicles were killed, an d there were 8 suicides and 3 murders. There were no gunshot injuries. Conclusions: Reduction of deaths from multiple injuries is as much a socioe conomic as a medical matter.