Gevolgen van ernstige en zeer ernstige letsels

• The effects of severe injuries can be charted using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model and the burden of disease model, in which the burden of disease is expressed in ‘disability-adjusted life years’ (DALYs).
• Severe accidents cause 10 DALYs per 1000 people, which is comparable with the burden of disease of mood disorders and lung cancer.
• In the Netherlands, severe injury victims are often males aged < 40 years, who are often injured in road traffic accidents.
• The average hospital stay after a severe injury is one month, after which almost 75% of the patients are discharged home, while one quarter subsequently stay in rehabilitation facilities for 3-6 months. More than half return to their original employment.
• Patients with thoracic and abdominal injuries recover relatively well, whereas injuries of the lower extremities, brain and spinal cord give a relatively poor prognosis. Comorbidity increases the chance of a less good recovery. Older people who survive an accident recover relatively well.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.