[The extent of injuries as a criterion for the assessment of the fatal combined injury in children].

The objective of the present study was to develop the method for the comprehensive objective assessment of the combined injury for the purpose of forensic medical examination. The study material was comprised of the results of forensic medical autopsies of 580 victims of car accidents and falls from a height (303 children and 277 adults). The proposed method for the estimation of the extent of combined injuries is based on taking into account all the discovered injuries expressed as a percentage of their possible total number included in the arbitrary check-list of 110 signs. It was shown that the size of the injured region characterizes the severity of the damage; evaluation of the totality of injuries in percentage terms allows objective comparison between the study groups to be made. The study has demonstrated that the fatal combined trauma in the children is characterized by a smaller number of injuries compared with the adults. The children of the younger age-group have fewer injuries than the elder ones; their number increases with age.