Evaluation of the mortality due to external causes

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os obitos por causas externas em uma microrregiao do Estado de Sao Paulo. METODOS: Estudo descritivo exploratorio transversal retrospectivo. Foi feito um levantamento e revisao de 511 prontuarios das vitimas de causas externas fornecidos pelo Instituto Medico Legal de Catanduva - SP de 2008 a 2011. Os dados foram classificados por sexo, idade, intencionalidade e mecanismo de causa externa. RESULTADOS: A mortalidade foi predominante no sexo masculino, com 77,9% dos casos (p OBJECTIVE: External causes have become an important public health problem due to their high mortality, morbidity, costs, the loss of potential years of life and the impact for individuals, their families and society. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of fatal victims of trauma in a microregion from Sao Paulo State. METHOD: This was a retrospective, transverse, exploratory and descriptive study. The Coroner's Office (IML) of Catanduva - SP - provided 511 medical records of the victims of external causes from 2008-2011. It was performed a survey and a review of those records and the data retrieved regarded gender, age, intentionality and mechanism of external cause. RESULTS: The mortality predominance was on male individuals (77.9% of the cases - p