[The polytraumatized child. Pattern of injuries, characteristics of therapeutic management and prognosis].

Accident-related injuries account for a major part of childhood morbidity and mortality. More than 25% of the patients treated at the University Clinic Aachen for severe multiple trauma are below 16 years of age. The younger the children are, the more the pattern of injuries as well as the therapeutic approach differ from the well-known standard in adults. This is due to the anatomic and physiologic differences encountered in children. A reliable and practical triage instrument is needed to overcome the problem of estimating the severity of injuries in a child. The Pediatric Trauma Score seems to fulfill these requirements.