Globally, there are approximately six million deaths per year from trauma.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury are major contributors to this key public health challenge and it has been estimated that in Europe there are approximately 225 deaths a day from TBI.

Even in regions with high levels of penetrating trauma, TBI is often still the most common cause of death following trauma.

The epidemiology of TBI has been changing for some years and we now see two patient groups dominating trauma centre practice: older patients with low‐impact trauma; and young adults with more severe injuries, often related to road traffic collisions.