Trauma, << TRAW muh, >> center is an area of a hospital provided with special staff and equipment to treat the most seriously injured patients. Trauma is life-threatening injury caused by the effects of physical forces on the body. Most trauma results from vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, falls from high places, or serious burns.
Trauma centers have specialized equipment and permanent staffs of physicians, nurses, and paramedics who are skilled in emergency lifesaving techniques. Staff members provide first aid at the accident site and rapid transportation by ambulance or helicopter to the center itself. Trauma centers developed from military hospitals that provided such service during the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1957-1975). Today, many trauma centers are part of an Emergency Medical Services system (see Emergency Medical Services ).
In the United States, pioneer civilian trauma care systems were established by the states of Maryland and Illinois. In 1969, Maryland opened a statewide trauma hospital in Baltimore called the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services. Helicopters pick up accident victims and fly them directly to the institute.
One of the most extensive trauma care systems was established in Illinois in 1971. This statewide system has four kinds of trauma centers: (1) local, (2) areawide, (3) regional, and (4) specialized. Local centers serve rural areas. After receiving basic treatment in a local trauma unit, the most seriously injured accident victims may be transferred to an areawide, regional, or specialized center. Areawide centers have such facilities as blood banks, intensive care units, laboratory services, operating rooms, and specialized X-ray units. Regional centers are located within university medical centers. They have highly trained staffs and can provide sophisticated treatment for seriously injured patients. Specialized trauma centers treat such problems as spinal cord injuries and children’s trauma.
