Trauma registries in Europe

Excerpt

The management and therapy of severe trauma is an important task in medicine, as trauma victims are mostly young people, and the mortality rate for severe trauma is still high. The treatment of trauma patients is cost-intensive, with an average intensive care unit stay of two weeks for survivors (ISS ≥ 16), and sometimes an extended phase of rehabilitation. Furthermore, many resources are needed to keep an emergency medical system ready on a 24 h/7 days a week basis, including ambulance cars, helicopters, and trained personnel. Trauma centers that are properly prepared to treat severely injured patients require several structural features, including intensive care units, trauma units, diagnostic devices such as computer tomographs and a blood bank, as well as a trained team incorporating different disciplines (orthopedic and visceral surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, neurosurgeons, nurses, etc.). …