title: Infection as a contributory cause of death in patients hospitalized for motor vehicle trauma.
abstract: The age and length-of-stay specific incidence of fatal infections and the percentage of deaths due to infection were determined in a population-based sample of patients hospitalized for more than 2 days for motor vehicle injuries. The percentage of deaths due to infection was determined from a statewide sample of death certificates, and the patient fatality rates for hospitalized motor vehicle crash injury patients were determined from statewide Professional Activities Study data. Fatal pulmonary infections were far more common than fatal nonpulmonary infections. The incidence rate of fatal pulmonary infection was highest among those with hospital stays of 7 to 28 days and among those 70 years of age or older. Incidence rates varied substantially by age and length of hospital stay from a low of 8 deaths per 100,000 patient-days for adult female patients with stays longer than 28 days to a high of 102 deaths per 100,000 patient-days for elderly men with stays of 7 to 28 days. The incidence rates documented in this study may improve the identification of blunt trauma patient groups with the greatest need for prophylactic antiinfective measures.
authors.affiliation: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fife
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kraus
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000367:Age Factors; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000401:mortality*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000401:mortality*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality*