Traumatic deaths in children: the importance of prevention.

In order to determine the preventable factors in fatal accidents, a retrospective review of paediatric deaths after admission to a suburban teaching hospital was conducted. The medical records and coroners' reports for 64 consecutive cases over a 68-month period were reviewed. The main causes of death were pedestrian injuries (42% of deaths), drowning (20% of deaths) and injuries to vehicular passengers (17% of deaths) and cyclists (13% of deaths). There was a male predominance (64%). Children who were aged less than five years were at greatest risk at home, with death by drowning (46% of deaths) predominating. For children who were over five years of age, accidents on the roadway as pedestrians (58% of deaths) and pedal-cyclists (20% of deaths) were the most-common causes of death. Analysis of the accidents showed that preventive strategies were underutilized. Thirty per cent of deaths could have been avoided by the wearing of restraints in motor vehicles, the wearing of cycle-helmets and the proper use of swimming-pool barrier equipment. Adequate supervision of children who were less than 10 years of age at road crossings could have prevented a further 17% of deaths. In comparison, even the most-optimal postinjury care would have salvaged only 5% of the cases. Therefore, while the ideal organization of services after injury is a logical aim in the management of childhood trauma, if lives are to be saved, the main emphasis must be on prevention.