Author: Trauma News

States are taking different approaches to the role of trauma centers in Ebola response planning. The University of California announced Friday that all five of its Level I trauma centers are prepared to receive patients with Ebola infections. Meanwhile, Minnesota healthcare leaders have specifically excluded Level I trauma centers from the state’s Ebola plan. Lawrence…

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Alexander Eastman, MD, trauma and critical care surgeon at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, recommended Thursday that the state of Texas create a secure communication network dedicated to potential Ebola cases, according to an Austin American-Statesman report. Dr. Eastman is the interim medical director at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He made the recommendation to a…

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The Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council recently organized a mass casualty drill in San Antonio. The largest ever in the city, the drill involved staff from more than 50 hospitals, approximately 200 EMS and law enforcement personnel and about 600 mock victims, according to a WOAI report. The drill included two overlapping casualty scenarios —…

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Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, N.Y., will undertake a $3.2 million surgery department renovation as it prepares to seek Level I verification from the American College of Surgeons, according to a Buffalo Business First report. The renovation will enable the hospital to create a designated trauma OR. It will also help the surgery department…

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Immune system activity following traumatic brain injury causes additional brain damage. An investigational drug may help protect injured patients against immune-related neurodegeneration. The findings were recently published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications. Read Paper The experimental drug, known as VG1177, is currently undergoing pre-clinical animal safety trials. “This research has important implications for contact sports involving…

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Richard P. Gonzalez, MD, was recently named director of the division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care and Burns at Loyola University Health System in Chicago. Dr. Gonzalez was recruited to Loyola from the University of South Alabama. Loyola University Medical Center is the only Level I trauma center in Illinois that is verified by the…

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Residents of a Florida county will soon be able to indicate to emergency personnel their preference for using the county’s free helicopter ambulance instead of the commercial alternative, according to a Key West Citizen report. Monroe County, which includes the Florida Keys, operates a taxpayer-funded air ambulance service called Trauma Star. But according to the…

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The Arkansas Trauma System has made big gains in care coordination during its first five years. The system has improved provider communication and access to specialized trauma services, according to an Arkansas Times report. The Arkansas legislature created the statewide trauma system in 2009. One of the system’s components is the Arkansas Trauma Communications Center.…

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Trauma centers are required to provide feedback to referring hospitals to improve care quality. Yet feedback processes are not well defined and can be time-consuming to manage. Harborview Medical Center in Seattle has successfully implemented a system for providing feedback to hospitals within the Washington State Trauma System through password-protected access to patient electronic medical…

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LSU Health Shreveport was recently reverified as a Level I trauma center by the American College of Surgeons. The Louisiana hospital failed to meet Level I standards during a 2012 survey. At the time, ACS recommendations included enhancing the trauma program’s leadership and processes, according to a hospital press release. The reverification comes after a…

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