University Medical Center Foundation

Your Level Trauma 1 Center

 

University Medical Center of El Paso is the only Level 1 Trauma Center in El Paso or within the surrounding hundred-mile region.  A Level One trauma center is the highest designation a hospital can receive. It means that the hospital maintains dedicated physicians, nurses, allied health staff, facilities and resources committed to trauma care and provides care for every aspect of injury from prevention through rehabilitation so that seriously injured patients have the best possible chance of survival and the least residual disability.

 

In addition to treating the seriously injured, Level 1 Trauma Centers provide leadership in the education of Emergency Medical Technicians, paramedics, nurses and physicians about the latest in trauma care and participate in research, emergency system planning and injury prevention programs to decrease trauma injuries.

 

The Trauma Team

Emergency air transport to Level Trauma 1 CenterThe Level One Trauma Center at University Medical Center of El Paso consists of a team of medical professionals specially trained in treating trauma and critical care injuries. Trauma surgeons and other members of the trauma team are in the hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Paramedics transport injury victims meeting special triage criteria past other local hospitals to the waiting trauma team at University Medical Center of El Paso - composed of a trauma surgeon, emergency physician, several trauma nurses and personnel from radiology, blood bank, case management and others.  Physicians in specialties ranging from neurosurgery to OB/GYN are on standby, and nursing teams are ready in the operating room and critical care unit as well.  It is not uncommon to find fifteen members of a clinical team in one trauma room to save life or limb.

 

Traumatic Injury is the leading cause of death in America

Traumatic injury accounts for about 140,000 deaths per year, and is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for ages 1-34.  Between 10-13 times as many Americans are disabled by injury each year, with brain injuries and paralysis being the most debilitating.  Since those who die of injury are mostly young, trauma accounts for more years of lost productivity before age 65 than heart disease, cancer and stroke combined.

 Traumatic injury is America's most costly health issue. Including direct costs of medical care, loss of earnings due to disability, and premature death, injury accounts for around $300 billion in annual economic costs.  The cost in human terms, particularly for young victims and their families cannot be quantified.

 

Injury Prevention

 The regional trauma center plays a central role in reducing the burden of injury by saving lives and returning those who are seriously injured back to productivity.  The alternative is a step back in time to delayed and inappropriate treatment when unnecessary deaths among the seriously injured were common and disabilities were exacerbated.

 

Regional trauma centers are uniquely suited for the important role of injury prevention due to their ability to identify injury causes in their communities and focus attention on solutions.  They are rarely funded for this role, which is unfortunate and shortsighted since each 1% reduction in injury saves $3 billion in annual economic costs.  A 3.5% reduction in injury in America would cover the full costs of regional trauma centers throughout the U.S.

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