[Polytrauma following a fall from a great height. The injury pattern and the intensive medicine aspects].

We report on 10 polytraumatised patients who were treated in an ICU after a free-fall injury. The injury pattern of these patients proved to be relatively uniform. Brain oedema occurred in many victims. Remarkable was the fact that 8 out of 10 patients developed a pneumothorax, but only three of them had rib fractures on the same side. All patients suffered from fractures of the extremities with the lower extremities being affected more often. Abdominal injuries were not of importance.