Salman Rawaf discusses the implications of the most recent estimate of excess deaths associated with the Iraq war and subsequent occupation in the context of the current situation in Iraq. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To analyse over a 20 year period the level and trends in the "EC avoidable death indicators". DESIGN The Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) method applied to curative and preventive avoidable mortality indicators in Belgium for four successive five year periods, countrywide as well as by district, separately for women and men. Ratios of YPLL rates (age standardised) describe...

This study attempts to improve our understanding of the prevalence and determinants of violent death in rural Bangladesh. Data came from a demographic surveillance system covering a population of nearly 62,000 in 10 districts of the country. Findings reveal that drowning and homicide were the leading causes of death followed by traffic accident and suicide. Significant sociodemographic differen...

In 2016, the Office of the State Coroner of New South Wales released its report into the death of an Australian woman, Sheila Drysdale, who had died from complications of an autologous stem cell procedure at a Sydney clinic. In this report, we argue that Mrs Drysdale's death was avoidable, and it was the result of a pernicious global problem of an industry exploiting regulatory systems to sell ...

The Institute of Medicine defines a good death a "one that is free from avoidable death and suffering for patients, families and caregivers in general accordance with the patients' and families' wishes." The current system creates barriers to reducing the stress and suffering that accompany a patient's end of life. Data and eHealth technology, if it were more accessible, could help patients, fa...

INTRODUCTION Maternal mortality is a key indicator of maternal health and the general state of health care. This report summarizes maternal deaths in Wisconsin from January 2006 through December 2010. METHODS Maternal deaths were identified using death certificates and supporting links with infant birth and fetal death certificates. Suspected pregnancy-related maternal deaths were abstracted ...

BACKGROUND To the authors' knowledge, the extent to which death from bladder cancer is attributable to tumor biology or physician practice patterns is unknown. For this reason, the relative importance of broadening indications for aggressive therapy has unclear implications. METHODS Patients whose deaths were caused directly by bladder cancer were identified using institutional (n = 126 patie...