J Trauma
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Advances in care such as damage control surgery, hemostatic resuscitation, protocol-driven cerebral perfusion management, and lung-protective ventilation have promised to improve survival after major trauma. We examined injury severity, mortality, and preventability in a mature trauma system during a 12-year period to assess the overall benefits of these and other improvements. ⋯ Survival after severe trauma and survival benchmarked against predicted risk improved significantly at our center during the past 12 years despite generally increasing age and worsening injuries. Advances in trauma care have kept pace with an aging population and greater severity of injury, but overall survival has not improved.