Open fractures in polytraumatic patients

Open fractures from the clinical-therapeutic point of view, correlated with the global conditions of the polytraumatic patient are studied. The concept of polytraumatic patient is specified and the correlations of the patient's resuscitation and nurosurgical problems are pinpoited. Associated lesions in the polytraumatic patients studied ina one year period, chosen as a sample in the Author's Dept., are abalyzed and a classification based an the presence at the same time of one or more fractures and of a cranio-thoraco-abdominal lesions, are proposed. Contraindications and advantages of immediate and global treatment of all lesions presented by a polytraumaitc patient are discussed. The Authors' conclusion on the grounds of their experience and of the valuable results abtained are in favour of the treatment in emergency of all the existing lesions.