Trauma

Abstract

Trauma is the leading cause of death in the United States for individuals from ages 1 to 44 years; and overall, is the fifth leading cause of death for the entire US population.1 In 2000, 16% of the population reported needing treatment for an injury. One patient in 100 required hospitalization, and approximately 10% of these patients met criteria for trauma center admission. Most of the more severely injured received care in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Trauma accounts for 10% of measurable healthcare expenditures, but probably has a significantly greater impact if other measures such as value of life lost to premature mortality, loss of patient and caregiver time, nonmedical expenditures (e.g., wheelchair ramps), insurance costs, property damage, litigation, decreased quality of life, and diminished functional capacity are factored into the calculation.2 © 2010 Springer-Verlag US.