Autopsy based study on the pattern and profiling of thoracic and abdominal injuries due to blunt force trauma - A retrospective analysis

One of the leading and preventable causes of death in developing world is trauma and is a significant health and social issue. Impact of the trauma is dependent on site and severity of the force and the position of the victim when injured determine which set of organs is affected. The aim of the present study was to assess and outline the pattern of thoracic and abdominal damage sustained due to bluntforce trauma in autopsied cases. This was a three-year retrospective autopsy-based study from a tertiary care centre of rural southern Haryana. All victims (male or female), whether hospital admitted or brought dead with a history of blunt trauma to any part of the body (mainly chest and abdomen) except head were included in the study. Out of total 115 cases of thoracic and abdominal injuries who succumbed to death, predominantly were males and were in age group of 15–45 year. Road traffic accidents was the leading cause of blunt trauma while only few cases were as a result of assault. In hospital deaths, maximum patients died within 6 hours of hospitalisation. Analysis of all the thoracic injuries showed the commonest injuries were rib injuries followed by trauma to the lungs. Liver was the commonest organ to get injured in abdominal trauma followed by pelvic fracture.