MedicineEmergency MedicineSurgeryAutopsy PathologyTrauma CareTraumatic Brain Injury PreventionPrehospital Trauma CareTrauma AnalysisTrauma AssessmentTrauma ResuscitationTrauma SurgeryInjuries At AutopsyNeed For Surgical InterventionRegional Trauma System IntegrationTrauma Decision MakingTrauma System DesignTrauma System EvaluationTrauma System Organization
Before Orange County established a trauma system, 73 % of in‑hospital non‑CNS motor‑vehicle trauma deaths were deemed preventable by autopsy. In June 1980, Orange County launched a regional trauma system with designated centers, and the authors used autopsy data to assess its first year, comparing outcomes to prior studies in 1974 and 1978‑79. The new system markedly reduced preventable deaths and increased the proportion of patients receiving appropriate surgical intervention.
Prior to the designation of a trauma system in Orange County, Calif, 73% of the in-hospital non-CNS deaths secondary to motor vehicular trauma were judged by the autopsy method to have been preventable. In June 1980, a regional system of trauma care with designated trauma centers was established in Orange County. We used the autopsy method to evaluate the first year's experience with this new system and compared the results with previous studies in Orange County for 1974, San Francisco County in 1974, and Orange County in 1978-1979. The results indicate a severe reduction in the number of deaths judged preventable. In addition, a more aggressive approach to the traumatized patient was noted as indicated by an increased percentage of patients who received appropriate surgical intervention.
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John G. West · Archives of Surgery · 1979 · 552 citations
Validation of Autopsy Method for Evaluating Trauma Care
John G. West · Archives of Surgery · 1982 · 50 citations