Doctors speak of polytrauma, or major trauma, when several body regions or organ systems are injured at the same time and at least one of these injuries, or their combination, is life-threatening. Common causes are road traffic accidents, falls from a great height and serious accidents at work.
The real danger is often invisible: internal bleeding in the abdomen or pelvis, an injured lung, a traumatic brain injury. If the body loses a lot of blood, it goes into shock and the organs are no longer adequately supplied. That is why a fixed order applies: whatever threatens life most quickly is treated first – even if a broken leg is more visible.
Care begins at the scene of the accident. The ambulance crew and emergency doctor secure the airway, stop bleeding and immobilise the spine. The emergency control centre selects a suitable hospital and notifies it of the incoming patients so that the team is ready before the ambulance arrives.
The resuscitation room is a dedicated treatment room within the emergency department, equipped to receive severely injured patients. Trauma surgery, anaesthesia, radiology and nursing work there according to the ABCDE approach: airway, breathing, circulation, neurological status, then examination of the whole body. Initial care is often followed by days in intensive care, further operations and a long period of rehabilitation.