Polytrauma is a medical term describing the condition of a person who has been subjected to multiple traumatic injuries, such as a serious head injury AND a serious burn. It is defined via an Injury Severity Score ISS >=16. The term has become common among US military doctors in describing the seriously injured soldiers returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq) and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). The term however is generic, and has been in use for a long time for any case involving multiple traumata. Civilian medicine In civilian life, polytraumas are often associated with motor vehicle accidents. This is because car accidents usually occur at a high velocity and subsequent injury is usually severe and consists of multiple damages. On admission to hospital any trauma patient should immediately undergo x-ray diagnosis of their cervical spine, chest and their pelvis, commonly known as a 'trauma series', to ascertain