Trauma research in low- and middle-income countries is urgently needed to strengthen the chain of survival

Every day, 16,000 men, women, and children are killed by injuries, and thousands more are permanently injured worldwide. It is estimated that for every death there are dozens of hospital admissions, hundreds of emergency department visits, and thousands of doctors' appointments, in the countries where such facilities exists. Injuries are responsible for six of the 15 leading causes of death in 15 to 44 year-olds worldwide [1]. Without new or improved interventions, road traffic injuries will be the third leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2020 [2].This deadly epidemic, devastating to all involved, is hitting victims with least resources. Almost 90% of deaths due to injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) [3]. Injuries from road traffic accidents, interpersonal violence, and war are among the leading causes of death in low- and middle-income countries [2].The distribution of resources is skewed in these countries, with most physicians and medical facilities located in major cities [4]. The rate of prehospital death is highest in the countries with least resources [5]. Worldwide, there is a mismatch between the distribution of doctors and injuries (Figures 1 and 2) [6,7].In comparison to the high income countries little research is published from low- and middle income countries. Roy and co-workers state in a recent publication that "Considering that 85% of disasters and 95% of disaster-related deaths occur in the developing world, the overwhelming number of casualties has contributed insignificantly to the world's peer-reviewed literature. Less than 1% of all disaster-related publications are about disasters in the developing world [8]".It is thus commendable that two groups of researchers from Tanzania [9] and Nigeria [10] are reporting their experiences in Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine. Chalya and co-workers describe a situation in their referral level intensive care department with high burdens fro