Ballywho News

You’re on your way to work one early morning when you see a huge traffic backup. Then you see the cause. Glass litters the highway and smoke is still in the air. There are several cars off the road, along with a fire truck and police cars. People on stretchers are being loaded into an ambulance—no doubt on their way to a trauma center.

You may think that a trauma center is just like an emergency room, but it actually has to meet certain criteria and is more specifically equipped. It is designed to offer immediate treatment for traumatic injuries, which are defined as a blunt force or penetrating physical injuries. These are usually severe and life-threatening conditions that result from car accidents, falls, burns, and gunshots.

Less than 10 percent of hospitals in the United States have trauma centers, but as many as 170,000 people die from trauma each year.

If you’re ever in need of a trauma center, it may offer specialized equipment and staff members, such as these:

• 24-hour operating facilities
• 24-hour radiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and emergency doctors
• 24-hour trauma nurses
• 24-hour laboratory facilities
• Comprehensive burn care
• Resuscitation facilities
• Helicopter pad for airlifted patients

You may also discover that trauma centers are classified into four different levels:

Level I

• Offers a full range of services and specialties 24 hours a day
• Provides education for injury and trauma prevention
• Has an ongoing research program
• Runs a substance abuse screening and intervention program
• Meets minimum volume requirements for treating severely injured patients each year

Level II

• Provides essential services and personnel 24 hours a day for comprehensive trauma care
• Collaborates with a Level I trauma center in some cases
• Offers an injury prevention program
• Does not have to meet minimum volume requirements

Level III

• Provides emergency and intensive care for most trauma patients
• Usually does not have a full range of specialists available
• Has a transfer agreement with Level I and Level II centers
• Runs an injury prevention program

Level IV

• Has a doctor who provides coverage 24 hours a day
• Offers emergency treatment and evaluation of trauma victims
• Usually transfers trauma patients to higher level centers

If you want to know more about how trauma centers operate, contact Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. Visit us online or call Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-800-382-3522. Who knows—the people at a trauma center could one day save your life.

SOURCES
http://www.traumafoundation.org/index.php
http://nsucomems.tripod.com/what_is_a_trauma_center.htm