Road traffic suicides.

A prospective observational study of fatal road traffic collisions in south-east Scotland between 1993 and 2003 revealed 17 cases (2.8% of all road fatalities) which appeared to be the result of suicide. In all 17 cases the judgement that the death was the result of suicide reflected the combination of a consistent mechanism of injury with supporting background information. The 17 individuals comprised 13 car drivers and four pedestrians. Ten of the individuals had a past history of mental illness. Only three (18%) survived to reach hospital alive. Analysis of the injuries revealed nine individuals to have unsurvivable injuries (defined by Abbreviated Injury Scale of six, Injury Severity Score of 75). The number of road traffic suicides may be generally underestimated. They appear to be difficult to prevent.

Circular saw suicide.

A case of an individual who died as a result of a self-inflicted circular saw injury to the head is presented. Death appeared to result from massive haemorrhage from injury to the superior sagittal sinus. The described mechanism of injury appears to be very unusual and may have reflected underlying issues. In particular, potential background factors resulting in the self-infliction of an injury to the head are discussed.

Children presenting to hospital with acute alcohol intoxication.

AIMS: To investigate the problem of children presenting to hospital with alcohol intoxication. METHODS: An observational study was conducted over 18 months profiling children who presented to hospital with acute alcohol intoxication, proved by laboratory tests on blood alcohol levels (BALs). The study was part of a multicentre-funded injury prevention project based on the widely accepted Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Programme. RESULTS: 62 children (31 boys), mean age 14.5 years, presented with alcohol intoxication proved by BALs. The mean BAL was 203 mg/dl (standard deviation (SD) 80.7). As a point of reference, 56 (90%) children had BAL above the UK legal driving limit of 80 mg/dl. The most common type of alcohol consumed was spirits, in the form of whisky, gin, vodka and tequila. No significant association was seen between age and BAL. Children with high alcohol levels were much more likely to have lower Glasgow Coma Scores (p<0.001), but in contrast with conventional teaching, there was no association between blood glucose levels and BALs. The median Glasgow Coma Score on admission to the emergency department was 12. 15 (24%) children had a score < or = 8/15. Injuries were present in 21 (34%) children, most of which were minor injuries. Minor head injury was most common, accounting for 42% of the injuries. The most common cause of injury was a fall. DISCUSSION: The results of this study confirm the heavy use of alcohol by some young children. This highlights a definite problem, which needs to be dealt with by a variety of measures, giving particular consideration to the ease of access to alcohol by children.

Pedestrian deaths following collisions with heavy goods vehicles.

Pedestrian fatalities following collisions with heavy goods vehicles ('lorries') in south-east Scotland were studied between 1992 and 1998. Data sources included police and ambulance reports, forensic medicine records, hospital casenotes and the Scottish Trauma Audit Group database. All injuries were scored according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale, yielding Injury Severity Scores (ISS). Sixteen pedestrians (mean age 60.2 years) died after being hit by a lorry. Actions of pedestrians were implicated in causing all the collisions--four of which appeared to be suicides. Four of the apparently accidental deaths involved pedestrians with significant blood alcohol levels. Thirteen pedestrians were dead when found. Ten pedestrians had an ISS of 75, having a total of 13 injuries acknowledged to be unsurvivable (Abbreviated Injury Scale = 6), largely to the head and chest. The unsurvivable injuries reflect huge forces, explaining why only a small proportion of the pedestrians survived to hospital. There is little potential to reduce the number of deaths by improving hospital treatment, rather the focus needs to be directed towards injury prevention. Although pedestrians appeared to be responsible for the collisions, the results suggest it may be more feasible and effective to direct injury prevention measures towards lorry drivers.

The electrocardiogram in hypothermia.

OBJECTIVE: Hypothermia is known to adversely affect the electrocardiogram (ECG) in many cases. This study set out to determine the incidence of defined cardiac dysrhythmias, J waves, and conduction abnormalities in urban hypothermia. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter study was carried out to determine the incidence of defined cardiac rhythms in patients suffering from accidental urban hypothermia. The ECGs were independently analyzed by 2 of the authors and placed into 1 of 6 rhythm categories. RESULTS: Seventy-three ECGs were analyzed. Normal sinus rhythm was the most common rhythm (41%). Overall mortality was 36% (26/73). J waves occurred in 36% of survivors and 38% of non-survivors and were, therefore, not prognostic. Shivering artifact was present in 66% of survivors and 38% of nonsurvivors. Although there was no statistically significant association between J waves and survival (P = .21), the presence of shivering artifact was associated with survival in severe hypothermia (P = .047). Atrial fibrillation and junctional bradycardia were both associated with high mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that the ECG is abnormal in the majority of patients suffering from accidental hypothermia. J waves do not appear to be independently prognostic in hypothermia. The results suggest that the inability to mount a shivering response may be associated with a poorer outcome; this finding requires further study.

From Hippocrates to the Eskimo--a history of techniques used to reduce anterior dislocation of the shoulder.

It has been recognised for thousands of years that the shoulder joint is particularly prone to dislocation following trauma. From the time of Hippocrates, physicians have described a variety of different techniques aimed at reducing shoulder dislocations. In this article we review the historical development of these techniques and suggest that, despite being described as new, many of these are simply variations on an already established method.

A five year study of high falls in Edinburgh.

High falls are a common cause of death and disability. The aim of this study was to obtain an epidemiologically complete picture of all high falls over a 5 year period in Edinburgh, Scotland. Prospectively collected data on hospital survivors and hospital deaths was collected from the Scottish Trauma Audit Group (STAG) database. Data on prehospital deaths was obtained from autopsy reports and detailed police enquiry reports. There were 341 patients in the study, of whom 82% were male. Seventy-four percent survived to hospital discharge. Sixty-three percent of the total deaths appeared to be suicides. Head and chest injuries were responsible for the majority of deaths. Pelvis, limb and vertebral injuries predominated in survivors. In conclusion, prevention may be the most effective method of reducing prehospital deaths. Abdominal injuries were associated with a poor outcome, but survival might improve with immediate surgical exploration in haemodynamically unstable patients.

Mass carbon monoxide poisoning.

The largest occurrence of carbon monoxide poisoning in Britain demonstrates the potential for mass accidental poisoning. It emphasises the need for strict public health controls and the importance of good liaison between emergency services to ensure that such events are quickly recognised and that the necessary resources are organised.

Plastic bag asphyxia in southeast Scotland.

Death resulting from plastic bag asphyxia has been recognized for >40 years, but relatively little is known about either its epidemiology or its pathophysiology. Over 15 years (1984-1998), 30 deaths were attributed to plastic bag asphyxia among the 14,560 autopsies performed in the Forensic Medicine Unit in Edinburgh. These 30 deaths involved 20 male and 10 female subjects, with an age range of 13 to 81 years. Eleven had some alcohol measurable in the blood, with four having levels >80 mg/dl. Only one individual appeared to have ingested a drug overdose, but inhaled substances within the plastic bag may have contributed to death in five cases. The absence of childhood accidental deaths may reflect successful preventive measures. The 3 accidental deaths involved adults (including 2 who died of autoerotic asphyxia), and the remaining deaths were 27 suicides. Of those who committed suicide, most (59%) had chronic psychiatric illness rather than chronic debilitating or terminal physical illness. In contrast with reports from the United States, publicity associated with "self-deliverance" did not result in an increased number of deaths from plastic bag asphyxia (4 deaths in this series). Analysis of the circumstances of all the deaths revealed them to be difficult to predict and hence prevent.

Suicidal high falls.

There are few data on committing suicide by jumping from a height. Information on suicidal high falls in southeast Scotland was prospectively gathered over 7 years (1992-1998). Data sources included ambulance, police, hospital and forensic records. Injuries sustained were scored according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale, generating Injury Severity Scores (ISS). Sixty-three individuals (50 males), appeared to have committed suicide by falling from a height. The backgrounds were diverse, but 44 individuals had known previous psychiatric illness, 18 having attempted suicide before. The most common locations were high bridges, with two accounting for 23 deaths (37%). Only nine individuals (14%) reached hospital alive. ISS range was 16-75, including 22 scores of 75. These individuals had a total of 24 injuries acknowledged to be unsurvivable, comprising 10 thoracic aortic ruptures, eight massive brain/brainstem injuries, four cardiac injuries, and two high spinal cord transections. The high rate of prehospital death reflects the heights of the falls and consequent major injuries. Prevention of suicide is acknowledged to be difficult - these results suggest that hospital treatment of injuries sustained has little to offer in terms of reducing the death rate from suicidal high falls.

Delayed death owing to blunt cardiac injury.

Two cases of blunt myocardial injury to the region of the anterior descending branch of the left coronary artery causing death are described. In one case, direct injury appeared to have resulted in myocardial infarction, whereas in the other, cardiac arrhythmia (possibly secondary to coronary artery spasm) was implicated. Although apparently uncommon, deaths following blunt injury to the coronary arteries may cause death, but are difficult to predict and prevent.

Injury analyses of fatal motorcycle collisions in south-east Scotland.

The timing of death and pathological findings in fatal motorcycle accidents in south-east Scotland between 1987 and 1997 were investigated. Of the 59 motorcyclists who died, 38 were dead when found at the accident scene, six others were alive when found but died at the scene, two died in an ambulance in transit to hospital and 13 died after reaching hospital. Scoring of the injuries according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale revealed Injury Severity Scores (ISS) ranging from 25 to 75. Overall, injuries to the head, neck and chest were responsible for the most severe injuries. Twenty-five motorcyclists had injuries acknowledged to be unsurvivable (ISS = 75), most of which involved the thoracic aorta, brainstem and cervical spinal cord. The greatest potential to reduce the death rate amongst motorcyclists lies with accident prevention/injury reduction measures, rather than through improved treatment of injuries. Efforts to try to alter driving behaviour and to improve the design of vehicles and helmets need to continue.

The association between seniority of Accident and Emergency doctor and outcome following trauma.

The actual survival of patients treated following trauma in four Scottish Teaching hospitals during five years was compared with predicted survival according to TRISS analysis. The data were analysed according to the seniority of the Accident and Emergency (A&E) doctor treating each patient. The group of patients treated by a consultant had a significantly better outcome (p < 0.05) than the group of patients treated by junior doctors. Analysis of outcome according to the grade of junior A&E doctor suggested a step-wise improvement in outcome with seniority, thus supporting the concept that an improved outcome is associated with experience and seniority. These results support calls for A&E consultants to be increasingly involved in the management of patients with major trauma. Such increased involvement would require an increase in the number of A&E consultants.