[Computer-assisted data analysis of injuries of the skeletal system in polytrauma patients]

The data of 366 patients with multiple injuries were evaluated by application of data processing over a period of seven years. Age and sex distribution, location and combination of injuries, mortality, mechanism of accident, diagnostics as well as therapy were analysed. 91.3% of our patients had injuries of the skeleton. The male to female ratio was 2:1. In 55.4% the age of the patients ranged from 10 to 39 years. The mortality rate of all patients was 27.2%. In the third decade only 16.9% of the patients died. Whereas the mortality of the patients in the 1. decade as well as between the 7. and 9. decades of life was very high (33% and 50%). Most of the skeletal injuries were located in the shank (24% open fractures). The mortality rate increases with the number of injuries (Table III). Patients with concomitant injuries, such as head injuries and fractures of the extremities were the most common combination of multiple injuries. 20% of the patients in this group died. Patients with combined injuries of the head, chest, abdomen and skeleton had highest mortality (57%). X-ray examination of the skull, chest, extremities and mainly of the spine and pelvis should be subjects of routine diagnostics. In patients who were suspected of having a blunt abdominal trauma, the first diagnostic technique will be ultrasound. On account of the various number of concomitant injuries as well as the patients individuality, the estimation of prognosis by systems for the classification of the severity of injury is fraught with difficulties. The analysis of the evaluated data showed that previously small number of variables may predict the prognosis of the course of disease.