Trauma Center

Synonyms

Level I, II, III, IV trauma centers; Trauma systems

Definition

Trauma centers are hospital-based emergency departments with adequate specialized personnel and equipment to address a variety of traumatic injuries.

Current Knowledge

Most regions in the USA have developed trauma systems which, in highly populated areas, may include a number of trauma centers of varying capacities. Trauma systems also include other resources, such as emergency response, evacuation teams, equipment to provide life-saving interventions, and stabilization at the site of injury, and convey patients to the trauma center. Trauma centers are typically designated at the state or local level. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has established a program to verify the level of resources available at a trauma center at various levels as outlined in Table 1.

Table 1 Typical characteristics of trauma care resource levels