title: Polytrauma management - a single centre experience.
abstract: The management of polytraumatised patients remains challenging in spite of advances and improvements in trauma care in recent decades. Trauma systems require enormous staff resources as well as technical equipment. Internal and external quality management processes are necessary to identify weak points and improve treatment quality. Continuous training of all professionals involved in trauma care is necessary to assure high quality, up-to-date therapy in patients with multiple injuries. Standard operating procedures such as prehospital trauma algorithms and clinical management protocols (ie, ATLS) can help to standardise and compare treatment of patients suffering from major trauma. In this overview, we describe the development and current state of our trauma department. Differences in our cohort of polytraumatised patients compared to other facilities and current strategies for initial treatment of these patients are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Trauma Department, Hanover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hanover, Germany. michaelfrink@web.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frink
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zeckey
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mommsen
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haasper
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krettek
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hildebrand
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017732:Air Ambulances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012041:Regional Medical Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D012042:Registries; D012577:Schools, Medical; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D000078329:Workforce