Editing Major trauma (section)

==Classification==
Injuries generally are classified by either severity, the location of damage, or a combination of both.<ref>Moore 2013, p. 77{{fcn|date=December 2023}}</ref> <!--percentages of total incidence-->Trauma also may be classified by [[Demographics|demographic group]], such as age or gender.<ref name="Rosen2010">{{cite book|title=Rosen's emergency medicine: concepts and clinical practice|edition= 7th |last=Marx|first=J|year=2010|publisher=Mosby/Elsevier|location=Philadelphia|isbn=978-0323054720|pages=243–842}}</ref> It also may be classified by the type of force applied to the body, such as [[blunt trauma]] or [[penetrating trauma]]. For research purposes injury may be classified using the [[Barell matrix]], which is based on [[International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems#ICD-9|ICD-9-CM]]. The purpose of the matrix is for international standardization of the classification of trauma.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/injury/ice/barell_matrix.htm|title = The Barell Injury Diagnosis Matrix, Classification by Body Region and Nature of the Injury|access-date = 19 June 2013|publisher = Center for Disease Control}}</ref> Major trauma sometimes is classified by body area; injuries affecting 40% are [[polytrauma]], 30% [[head injury|head injuries]], 20% [[chest trauma]], 10%, [[abdominal trauma]], and 2%, [[Limb (anatomy)|extremity]] trauma.<ref name="Rosen2010"/><!--percentages of total incidence--><ref name="ER2008" />

Various scales exist to provide a quantifiable metric to measure the severity of injuries. The value may be used for [[triage|triaging]] a patient or for statistical analysis. Injury scales measure damage to anatomical parts, physiological values (blood pressure etc.), [[comorbidity|comorbidities]], or a combination of those. The [[Abbreviated Injury Scale]] and the [[Glasgow Coma Scale]] are used commonly to quantify injuries for the purpose of triaging and allow a system to monitor or "trend" a patient's condition in a clinical setting.<ref>Moore 2013, pp. 77–98{{fcn|date=December 2023}}</ref> The data also may be used in epidemiological investigations and for research purposes.<ref>{{cite conference | url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/injury/DicussionDocu.pdf | title=Discussion document on injury severity measurement in administrative datasets | publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | access-date=2013-05-24 |date=September 2004 | pages=1–3}}</ref>

Approximately 2% of those who have experienced significant trauma have a spinal cord injury.<ref name="Ahn 1341–61">{{cite journal|last=Ahn|first=H|author2=Singh, J |author3=Nathens, A |author4=MacDonald, RD |author5=Travers, A |author6=Tallon, J |author7=Fehlings, MG |author8= Yee, A |title=Pre-hospital care management of a potential spinal cord injured patient: a systematic review of the literature and evidence-based guidelines|journal=Journal of Neurotrauma|date=Aug 2011|volume=28|issue=8|pages=1341–61|pmid=20175667 |doi=10.1089/neu.2009.1168 |pmc=3143405}}</ref>