Table 4.
Case descriptions of all deaths within three months of index trauma (final interpretation of cause of death according to blinded external and internal reviewers)
| Patient with history | Randomisation | Initial hospital episode and subsequent care of injury | Cause of death (on death certificate) | Death related to head injury | Time between injury and death (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man aged 84, taking warfarin, fell at home | Computed tomography | Subdural haematoma, admitted to surgical ward, worsening medical condition, no operation | Subdural haematoma | Yes | 5 |
| Woman aged 92, heart failure and osteoporosis, fell at home | Computed tomography | No initial CT as a result of poor compliance, observation overnight because of vomiting. No additional care | Cardiosclerosis and heart failure | Unclear | 11 |
| Man aged 76, metastasised prostate cancer, fell at home | Computed tomography | Normal CT result, admitted to urology ward for social reasons. No additional care | Metastasised prostate cancer | No | 24 |
| Woman aged 77, healthy, fell at home | Computed tomography | Normal CT result, not admitted. Persistent headache/dizziness, died suddenly. Autopsy diagnosis | Subarachnoid haemorrhage | No | 24 |
| Man aged 93, healthy, cycling when hit by car | Computed tomography | Normal CT result, hip fracture, admitted to orthopaedic ward. No additional care | Perforated ulcer | No | 56 |
| Man aged 80, hypertension, hit by car at low speed | Observation | CT after 3 hours because of confusion. Subdural haematoma and skull fracture. Observed in ICU/surgical ward, worsening medical condition, no operation | Subdural haematoma with skull fracture | Yes | 13 |
| Woman aged 57, recently diagnosed ALS, fell at home | Observation | Uncomplicated observation for two days, no CT. No additional care | Myocardial infarction | No | 41 |
| Woman aged 75, heart failure, fell at home | Observation | Uncomplicated observation overnight, no CT. No additional care | Coronary heart disease | No | 85 |
| Woman aged 86, metastatic cancer, fell at home | Observation | Uncomplicated observation for five days, no CT. No additional care | Metastasised cancer | No | 60 |
CT=computed tomography; ALS=amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.