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 injuries predominated. More pedestrians than people in vehicles were killed, and there were 8 suicides and 3 murders. There were no gunshot injuries. CONCLUSIONS Reduction of deaths from multiple injuries is as much a socioeconomic as a medical matter.