Emergency trauma room management in severely and most severely injured patients

The treatment of most severely injured patients represents a great challenge for the trauma room team. Besides the time factor, which is a crucial cornerstone of the treatment in general and of the appropriate treatment of life-threatening injuries in particular, minor injuries and non-life-threatening injuries must also be taken into account. For this task, multidisciplinary processes play a paramount role. Advanced Trauma Life SupportA (R), Definitive Surgical Trauma Care and the European Trauma Course represent training concepts, which predefine structured diagnostic and treatment procedures. These concepts allocate the highest treatment priority to injuries that may be immediately fatal for the patient. Besides those life-threatening injuries that are commonly summarised under the term "deathly six", other minor traumas should also be assessed and treated in a structured manner as they may often considerably affect the quality of life after trauma.