Table 1.
The cause and time of death. Categorization of the causes of death into three admission-time categories - early, intermediate and late death. Specific causes of death are shown below the primary categories
| Cause and time of death among 84 patients | Total n | Early time of death 0 to 2 days from admission | Intermediate time of death 3 to 14 days from admission | Late time of death > 14 days from admission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 | 18 of 84 (21%) | 38 of 84 (45%) | 28 of 84 (33%) | |
| 1. CNS complications | 36 of 84 (43%) | 8 of 18 (44%) | 19 of 38 (50%) | 9 of 28 (32%) |
| Brain herniation | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Brain infarct | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Brain haemorrhage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Intractable seizures | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Global brain injury /unresponsive | 11 | 0 | 6 | 5 |
| CNS complications not further specified | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2. Systemic complications | 33 of 84 (39%) | 9 of 18 (50%) | 13 of 38 (34%) | 11 of 28 (39%) |
| Circulatory failure /septic shock | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Respiratory failure | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| Other organ failure | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Systemic complications not futher specified | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 3. Combined CNS and systemic causes | 3 of 84 (4%) | 1 of 18 (6%) | 0 of 38 (0%) | 2 of 28 (7%) |
| 4. Sudden unexpected death | 6 of 84 (7%) | 0 of 18 (0%) | 3 of 38 (8%) | 3 of 28 (11%) |
| 5. Withdrawel of care | 4 of 84 (5%) | 0 of 18 (0%) | 2 of 38 (5%) | 2 of 28 (7%) |
| 6. Unable to determine cause of death | 2 of 84 (2%) | 0 of 18 (0%) | 1 of 38 (3%) | 1 of 28 (4%) |