The changing perspectives of trauma care. The Sinkler Memorial Lecture.

Trauma and the management of injuries have changed considerably over the past century. A sound understanding of the factors that generate injuries and sophisticated systems that can be accessed immediately are now in place in most of the United States. The concept of a team approach to the management of multiple system injuries using specialists from all disciplines has resulted in the reduction of morbidity and mortality. Although many of the challenges of managing the trauma patient have been overcome, there are still a number of exciting areas that lend themselves to ongoing research. These changing perspectives allow for many exciting challenges for the trauma team.