[Perspectives of polytrauma management].

Despite a high standard of preclinical, clinical and rehabilitative trauma care, the number and degree of injuries will remain a social and medical challenge. Improvements of trauma care in the future may be possible in respect to social, economic, organisational, clinical and research issues. Prevention of trauma will be of major impact and improvements may be possible by preventive legislation and technical developments. Organisation of trauma care should integrate high level trauma centres early-on including a national, regional and local quality control system. The future preclinical and clinical individual care of multiple trauma patients should consider the complex pathophysiological mechanisms at all levels, while the understanding of these mechanisms is increasing continuously.