Introduction

Abstract

In modern society, trauma remains the number one cause of death in people under 50 years, but, despite this, very little attention has been paid to trauma care compared with other diseases such as malignancy or myocardial infarction (Table 1). The efforts that have been made in medical care, however, have showed some success; for example although the frequency of traffic accidents in the Federal Republic of Germany has remained constant over the years, the number of deaths resulting from them has decreased (Fig. 1). The results of improvements in rescue systems, surgical techniques, and intensive care are evident, as shown by a review of the statistics of about 3000 multiple trauma patients treated in the last 15 years at the trauma department of Hannover Medical School which reflects the progress that has been made in medical care.