ABSTRACT
Mortality subsequent to major trauma is dependent on a number of factors, of which the economic level of a nation is a major determinant. The 2004 World Health Organization (WHO) report cites mortality rates for seriously injured adults, that is those with an injury severity score (ISS) of 9 or higher. Since the introduction of the UK Major Trauma Centres and the Trauma Networks in 2012, the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) has reported a 63" improvement in the odds of a major trauma patient surviving their injury. Deaths as a result of trauma have classically been shown to follow a trimodal pattern, described by Trunkey in 1983. The common standard for trauma resuscitation within hospitals is Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS®). In the UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has issued a set of guidelines for the assessment and management of major trauma (February 2016) which strictly adhere to high quality evidence.
