Trauma center
Specialized hospital for major traumatic injury care.
A trauma center is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. The term may be used incorrectly to refer to an emergency department that lacks specialized services or certification for major trauma. In the United States, a hospital can receive trauma center status by meeting criteria established by the American College of Surgeons and passing a site review, with official designation determined by state law. Trauma centers are identified by Level designation, Level I being the highest and Level III the lowest, though some states have four or five levels.
- first_trauma_center
- Birmingham Accident Hospital, England, 1941
- first_US_civilian_shock_trauma_unit
- Cook County Hospital, Chicago, March 16, 1966
- first_shock_trauma_center
- R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Baltimore, July 1, 1966
- mortality_reduction
- Approximately 25% lower risk of death compared to non-trauma hospitals
- leading_causes_of_trauma
- Motor vehicle collisions, falls, and assaults with a deadly weapon
Lore & Background
Trauma centres grew out of the realization that traumatic injury is a disease process requiring specialized multidisciplinary treatment. The world's first trauma centre, the Birmingham Accident Hospital, opened in Birmingham, England in 1941 after studies found inadequate treatment of injured persons in England. By 1947 it had three trauma teams and a burns team, became part of the National Health Service in July 1948, and closed in 1993. In the United States, Robert J. Baker and Robert J. Freeark established the first civilian Shock Trauma Unit at Cook County Hospital in Chicago on March 16, 1966. The concept of a shock trauma center was also developed at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, by R Adams Cowley, who founded the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore on July 1, 1966. David R. Boyd, after interning at Cook County Hospital and becoming the first shock-trauma fellow at Cowley's center, developed the National System for Emergency Medical Services under President Ford. The American Trauma Society was created in 1968 by co-founders including Cowley and Rene Joyeuse.
Reader's Guide
Trauma centers represent a critical evolution in emergency medicine, focusing on the immediate surgical and specialized care of critically injured patients during the 'golden hour.' Their operation is expensive, leading to underserved areas, and patient traffic varies widely due to the unscheduled nature of emergencies. Receiving care at a trauma center lowers the risk of death by approximately 25% compared to non-trauma hospitals. In the United States, trauma centers are certified by the American College of Surgeons or state governments, with Level I providing the highest level of care, including 24-hour in-house coverage by general surgeons and prompt availability of multiple specialties. Lower levels may only provide initial stabilization and transfer. The Trauma Information Exchange Program, a collaboration of the American Trauma Society and Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy funded by the CDC, maintains an inventory of U.S. trauma centers and facilitates information exchange. The first civilian shock trauma unit in the U.S. opened in 1966 at Cook County Hospital, and the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, also opened in 1966, is one of the first in the world. In Canada, the Trauma Unit at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto opened in 1976, initially treating about 98% blunt-force trauma patients, with gunshot and knife wounds later rising to 20%.
Did You Know?
- The world's first trauma centre, the Birmingham Accident Hospital, opened in England in 1941.
- Receiving care at a trauma center lowers the risk of death by approximately 25% compared to non-trauma hospitals.
- The first civilian Shock Trauma Unit in the United States opened at Cook County Hospital in Chicago on March 16, 1966.
- The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, opened July 1, 1966, is one of the first shock trauma centers in the world.
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