Polytrauma

Polytrauma or multiple trauma is a medical term describing the condition of a person who has been subjected to multiple traumatic injuries, such as a serious head injury in addition to a serious burn. It is defined via an Injury Severity Score (ISS) equal to or greater than 16. The term has become common among US military doctors in describing the seriously injured soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). The term however is generic, and has been in use for a long time for any case involving multiple traumata.

In civilian life, polytraumas are often associated with motor vehicle accidents. This is because car accidents often occur at a high velocities causing multiple injuries. On admission to hospital any trauma patient should immediately undergo x-ray diagnosis of their cervical spine, chest and their pelvis, commonly known as a 'trauma series', to ascertain possible life-threatening injuries. Examples would be a fractured cervical vertebra, a severely fractured pelvis, or a haemothorax. Once the initial survey is complete, x-rays can be taken of the limbs to assess for other possible fractures. It is also quite common in severe trauma for patients to go straight to CT or a surgery theatre if they require emergency treatment.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be effective in treating some polytrauma patients with pulmonary or cardiopulmonary failure.

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