Preventable deaths in multiple trauma: review of deaths at Sunnybrook Medical Centre Trauma Unit.

One hundred and two patients, who have died of multiple injuries and on whom an autopsy was performed, have been reviewed. Injury severity was a major factor in the outcome and head injury played a definite role in more than half of the deaths. Missed diagnosis was not a major factor in the deaths. Future improvements will most likely be in the management of hemorrhage in patients with multiple injuries.