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Preventable and potentially preventable deaths in severely injured patients: a retrospective analysis including patterns of errors

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European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Analyzing preventable and potentially preventable deaths is a well-known procedure for improving trauma care. This study analyzes preventable and potentially preventable deaths in German trauma patients.

Methods

Patients aged between 16 and 75 years with an Injury Severity Score >15 who were primary admitted from July 2002 to December 2011 were analyzed in this study. Data from the patients’ hospital records were retrospectively analyzed, and cases were categorized as preventable, potentially preventable, and non-preventable deaths. In addition, trauma management was screened for errors.

Results

2304 patients were admitted from July 2002 to December 2011. 763 of which fulfilled the defined criteria. The mortality rate was 25.3 %. Eight cases (4.2 %) were declared as preventable deaths and 31 cases (16.1 %) as potentially preventable deaths. The most common errors in preclinical trauma care related to airway management. The main clinical error was insufficient hemorrhage control. Fluid overload from infusion was the second most common fault in both.

Conclusions

Preventable and potentially preventable errors still occur in the treatment of severely injured patients. Errors in hemorrhage control and airway management are the most common human treatment errors. The knowledge of these errors could help to improve trauma care in the future.

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Correspondence to C. Schoeneberg.

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Conflict of interest

Carsten Schoeneberg, Marc Schilling, Bjoern Hussmann, Daniel Schmitz, Sven Lendemans, and Steffen Ruchholtz declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Compliance with ethical requirements

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. The use of data from the Trauma Registry of the DGU received the full approval of the Ethics Committee of the University of Witten/Herdecke, Cologne, Germany.

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Schoeneberg, C., Schilling, M., Hussmann, B. et al. Preventable and potentially preventable deaths in severely injured patients: a retrospective analysis including patterns of errors. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 43, 481–489 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0670-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0670-9

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