Which term describes injury affecting more than one body system?

• A. Isolated injury
• B. Single-system trauma
• C. Focal trauma
• D. Multisystem trauma

Answer: (D)

When an injury involves more than one body system, it’s described as multisystem trauma. This term signals that threats may exist across multiple organ systems at once, which shapes how you approach assessment and management—prioritizing rapid identification and concurrent treatment of problems in different systems (for example, a head injury with chest trauma or abdominal bleeding).

Isolated injury means a problem in a single system, so the management can stay focused on that one area. A term like single-system trauma basically conveys the same idea but is less commonly used. Focal trauma refers to a localized injury to a specific site and doesn’t imply involvement of multiple body systems. Therefore multisystem trauma best fits injuries affecting more than one body system.