[Statistics of blunt abdominal trauma in an autopsy sample at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Würzburg University].

The autopsy material of the Institute for Forensic Medicine of the University of Wuerzburg, comprising 2512 post-mortem examinations between 1981 and 1988, was statistically analyzed. Blunt abdominal traumas could be detected in 424 (= 17%) of the 2512 deceased. Essential results: In 3/4 of the cases a traffic accident was the harmful event, followed by occupational accidents and suicide. In 9 cases the blunt abdominal trauma was caused by resuscitative measures. 96.6% suffered from severe extraabdominal secondary injuries which, in 72% of the cases, occurred as craniocerebral traumas frequently determining the quoad vitam prognosis. In more than 90% death was caused by cranio-cerebral traumas, exsanguination, polytraumas as well as injuries of the cervical spine and the cervical spinal cord. Approx. 2/3 of the casualties died within 1 hour after having sustained the trauma. Only 31 injured persons did survive the harmful event more than 10 days; just 5 of them did not die before a period of more than 30 days. Late death was predominantly caused by secondary injuries adding up, peritonitis, pneumonia or pulmonary embolism.