<p>Trauma is the number one cause of mortality in Americans under the age of 45 and the fifth most common cause of death overall. <br />Traumatic injuries are categorised as blunt or penetrating for the purpose of triage. Penetrating injuries result in a much higher injury severity. On arrival at the hospital, patients with a penetrating injury are met with far more resources than those with blunt traumatic wounds. In the US, gunshot wounds represent a large proportion of the penetrating injuries treated at trauma centres. The care of these injuries varies, however, and this article shares several general principles. </p>
