title: Causes of death of patients in an institution for the developmentally disabled.
abstract: The causes of death of 53 severely to profoundly developmentally disabled patients who died in an intermediate care facility were reviewed. Respiratory disease, predominantly pneumonia and aspiration, accounted for 72% of deaths. Seven patients died of nonrespiratory causes, and in 8 patients, no cause of death could be determined, even after a complete autopsy or investigation. The median age at death was 20 years. The weights of these patients' organs at autopsy were lower than those for normal individuals of the same age. The lifespan of these severely impaired individuals continues to be significantly shortened, even with improved methods of care.
authors.affiliation: Research Service, Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Albuquerque, NM.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Blisard
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Smialek
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: McFeeley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000473:pathology; D007380:Intermediate Care Facilities; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009929:Organ Size