-trauma is the leading cause of death for young people 1-44 years of age
-since multiple systems are involved, the EMT should expect to see many injuries
-emergency care will depend on the systems and injuries sustained by the patient
-patients with multi system trauma are at a greater risk of developing shock than other patients whose injuries only one system
-definitive care may be surgery (obviously you're not going to do this in the prehospital setting, but you're one of the first to take care of the patient)
