A Medicolegal Study of Fatal Polytrauma Cases

"POLYTRAUMA is trauma to two or more than two body regions."Severe trauma is the leading cause of death in the working population. Traffic accidents are the most frequent etiological factor with subsequently more male than female victims. The direct cause of death is erroneous diagnosis, ungrounded delay of surgical interventions and lack of and insufficient use of necessary medical care. It is also obvious that the attention of administrative and public health agencies to the material/technical equipments of pre-hospital and hospital service is insufficient and activities on accident prevention are certainly inadequate. Polytrauma may also be caused due to suicide or homicide. Earlier stab wounds used to be the most common method of homicide. Nowadays it has been replaced by firearms.Thus present study has been undertaken to determine nature and cause of polytrauma and its medicolegal aspects. This is an attempt to understand polytrauma better and to help society, if it can, in any form to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by it. And last but not least to reveal/expose and share the experiences gathered during medicolegal autopsy.