Contemporary intensive care treatment for patients with severe multiple trauma

Abstract

The primary reason for mortality in patients younger than 40 years are still severe injuries induced by multiple trauma. Improvement of the rescue system with shorter intervals for rescue and transport and early respiratory and circulatory support significantly reduced early death resulting from brain damage, hypoxia, and the typical reasons of death such as exsanguinating hemorrhage in combination with acidosis, hypothermia, and coagulopathy, referred to as the “lethal triad”. Consequently, complex and sequential multiple organ dysfunction and failure (MOD/MOF) has advanced to being the predominant reason for increased mortality. Interestingly, the triggers for subsequent MOD/MOF are the same as those factors that accounted for the early casualties.