[The epidemiology of multiple trauma].

Trauma is the leading cause of death for people up to 40 years of age in Germany. Most of the patients were injured in traffic accidents where special injury patterns could be detected: head injuries in bicycle and pedestrian accidents, lower extremity injuries in motorcycle accidents, and chest and pelvis injuries in car accidents. After falls from a height, the most common injuries were fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine. The treatment of polytrauma patients requires high health care resources and demands sophisticated medical support. It is estimated that every trauma patient costs daily approximately DM 4,700. It is not only the acute medical care that burdens our social system, but also the long period of rehabilitation and reintegration. The number of preventable trauma deaths can be significantly reduced in special trauma centers, and the high costs could be damaging for smaller hospitals. A plea is made for more preventive measures and legislative changes to reduce the number of traffic accidents. The medical care of trauma patients should be in special trauma centers.