Consideration on defining polytrauma as a single disease / 中华创伤杂志

ABSTRACT

Polytrauma represents severe injuries to multiple body regions, which is associated with high risk of complications and mortality. The definition of polytrauma relies on the basic concept of a combination of injuries that cause a life-threatening condition. The authors strongly call on the healthcare community to list polytrauma as a single disease in the international classification of diseases, rather than "disease combination". Because polytrauma has definite etiology and unique pathophysiological changes after polytrauma, treatment models are different from single trauma. Polytrauma can certainly fulfil any practical and nosological criteria of a single disease according to Berlin definition. The authors explore the importance of polytrauma as a single disease in preventive intervention strategies, therapeutic measures and traumatology development in the future.