UNMH Trauma Program

Trauma is an injury caused by external force applied to the body. Car crashes, violent acts such as shootings and stabbings, and falls are common mechanisms of injury. Major trauma is life-threatening or potentially life-threatening injury. Major trauma is the leading cause of death and disability for people under age 44 although people of any age can suffer life-threatening injuries. Every year patients suffering from injuries due to motor vehicle crashes, falls, knife or gunshot wounds, burns, or sport and recreational accidents are transported to UNMH for treatment. The time from injury to highly specialized trauma hospital care is critical in saving lives and decreasing disabilities. Trauma centers provide the level of care that can make the difference between life and death.

UNMH initially received Level I Trauma Center designation by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in 1987 and is the only Level I Trauma Center in New Mexico. UNMH has now been re-designated 6 times. This is an exceptional achievement for UNMH as only 259 of the approximately 1200 trauma centers in the United States provide the resources necessary to maintain national recognition by the ACS Committee on Trauma (COT). Level I Trauma Centers must be able to provide immediate, comprehensive, and highly specialized care 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year to patients suffering multi-system, severe, potentially life-threatening or disabling injuries. Every hour of every day, the Trauma Program provides surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, surgical specialists such as neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and plastic surgeons, as well as nurses and many other healthcare personnel to give immediate care to trauma patients. Vital support services such as blood bank, laboratory services and diagnostic radiology as well as case managers, clinical social workers, respiratory therapists, physical therapists and other medical professionals are also part of the trauma patient care team. UNMH also has a helipad for receiving trauma patients by MEDEVAC. Five state-of-the-art trauma rooms equipped with the latest technology are constantly available to evaluate injuries, resuscitate, stabilize and provide emergent medical care to the most critically injured patient. A dedicated trauma operating room stands ready to receive patients with emergent surgical needs as well as a trauma intensive care unit for the continuation of critical trauma patient needs after stabilization. Because traumatic injury typically deprives people of their productivity and ability to remain active for extensive periods of time, continuity of care is extremely important. After the initial injury is addressed, the trauma team focuses on helping patients become active as soon as possible. Patients may start rehabilitation while still in the hospital. The trauma team also makes recommendations for post-discharge care and educates patients about community resources that can help.

From the emergency medical personnel at the scene of an accident or injury through discharge, the UNMH Trauma Program plays a vital role in the survival and healing of severely injured patients throughout New Mexico.

The ACS COT verification process involves the preparation and submission of a formal proposal outlining how the hospital meets the national standards as well as an intense site survey. These standards include hospital commitment, patient care standards, trauma service operations, provision of medical education, level of trauma research, organization of quality review and system improvement, outreach, and prevention. As the highest distinction awarded by the ACS COT, the Level I designation indicates that our facility meets the nation's highest standards in trauma care.

The Division of Burn and Trauma is a subdivision of the Department of Surgery. Trauma program surgeons are general surgeons who are specifically trained to care for the critically injured patient and take trauma call. Trauma attending surgeons must be available 24 hours a day and respond within 15 minutes to the trauma room for care of trauma patients transported to UNMH. The Trauma Program must also maintain a surgically directed critical care service and participate in the training of interns, residents and fellows. A trauma surgeon is the full-time director of the trauma program and takes an active role in all aspects of the care of injured patients.

Trauma research activities are vital to advancement of knowledge in the care of injured patients. In 2001, former UNMH Trauma Medical Director Carol Schermer MD published the results of a study done at our facility regarding the at-risk substance abuse population which has now become the basis of the ACS COT directive that all Level I Trauma Centers must now provide screening and intervention for at-risk patients.

Trauma programs must also participate in an integrated, concurrent performance improvement and patient safety (PIPS) program to ensure optimal and continuous improvement in trauma patient care. As a Level I Trauma Center, the UNMH Trauma Program is responsible for not only assessing care provided within its trauma program, but also for helping to organize and assess trauma care throughout New Mexico. The Trauma Program also serves as a resource for all facilities dealing with injured patients in New Mexico.

Trauma Support Services is a UNMH department established to maintain the Level I Trauma Center designation. Every three years the hospital must undergo a very rigorous and thorough survey of our hospital and trauma program by the ACS COT. It is very similar to a Joint Commission survey. The hospital must provide documentation of the provision of trauma patient care consistent with the criteria outlined in Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient published by the ACS COT. With a staff of merely 5, Trauma Support Services compiles data on more than 3000 trauma patients seen at UNMH per year, which is then entered into a database. This data is downloaded monthly to the State of New Mexico Department of Health as well as the National Trauma Data Bank.

Trauma Support Services personnel also participate in many state trauma committees such as the Central Regional Trauma Advisory Council, the Trauma Nurse Coordinator/Registrar forum, the Trauma System and Stakeholders Committee, and the Trauma System Fund Authority.