In the absence of an internationally recognised standard definition of major trauma, Victoria applies the following operational definition of major trauma in injured patients:
Death after injury.
Admission to an intensive care unit for more than 24 hours, requiring a period of mechanical ventilation.
Serious injury to two or more body systems.
an Injury Severity Score (ISS) over 12, or
Urgent surgery for intracranial, intrathoracic or intra-abdominal injury, or for fixation of pelvic or spinal fractures.
Multi-Vehicle Collision Image used with permission from Ambulance Victoria