Arbes Stephanie, Berzlanovich Andrea
Department of Traumatology, Vienna Medical School, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria,
Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2015 Jan;127(1-2):57-61. doi: 10.1007/s00508-014-0639-9. Epub 2014 Nov 20.
Death due to blunt trauma as a sequel of falls, as a cause of an increased life span is expected. The aim of this retrospective study was to examine the correlation between the height of fall and the frequency, the extensiveness, and the type of injuries of certain body regions and organs.
The study included 201 cases of fatal falls, which consisted 118 male and 83 female cases. All subjects were assessed in a standard autopsy for height of fall, cause of death, and injury pattern.
Concerning the height of fall, 111 (55.2 %) cases involved falls on a plane level, 72 (35.8 %) from one level to another lower level, less than 5 meters, and 18 (9 %) cases from one level to another lower level, more than 5 meters. Mean age at the time of death was 66.7-years-old (range 22-98). The immediate cause of death was in 94 cases blunt head trauma, in 40 cases cardiovascular diseases, in 56 cases bronchopulmonal diseases, in 3 patients Polytrauma, in 5 patients multi organ failure, and in 3 patients other causes were identified. At the autopsy, 66 patients showed fractures of the skeletal system. The most common cause of death independent from the height of fall was head trauma with 46.7 %.
Both post-mortem findings and medical and psychiatric history, in conjunction with the findings at the death scene and toxicology results have to be considered to obtain the clearest possible picture of the circumstance of death.
因跌倒导致钝器伤致死，作为预期寿命增加的一个原因，是可以预料的。本回顾性研究的目的是检查跌倒高度与某些身体部位和器官损伤的频率、范围及类型之间的相关性。
该研究纳入了201例致命跌倒病例，其中男性118例，女性83例。所有受试者均接受标准尸检，以确定跌倒高度、死因及损伤模式。
关于跌倒高度，111例（55.2%）为在同一平面跌倒，72例（35.8%）是从一个平面跌倒至另一个较低平面，高度小于5米，18例（9%）是从一个平面跌倒至另一个较低平面，高度大于5米。死亡时的平均年龄为66.7岁（范围22 - 98岁）。直接死因方面，94例为钝性头部外伤，40例为心血管疾病，56例为支气管肺部疾病，3例为多发伤，5例为多器官功能衰竭，3例为其他原因。尸检时，66例患者显示有骨骼系统骨折。与跌倒高度无关的最常见死因是头部外伤，占46.7%。
为尽可能清晰地了解死亡情况，必须综合考虑尸检结果、医疗和精神病史，以及死亡现场的发现和毒理学结果。
