Hey guys,
I'm a premed, and I volunteer at a local ER. It's one of Georgia's 3 Level 1 trauma centers and is very busy. When critical patients come in, they go straight to one of four "Trauma Rooms." I've heard that these rooms are for stabilizing the patients, who are usually then taken to a separate OR for surgery.
Is this true? I've seen general surgery residents around the Trauma Rooms. What would happen in these rooms? Any surgery? And where would the Trauma surgeons reside?
Thanks
Emergent thoracotomies ("cracking the chest") is done in a trauma bay, but for most other operations, it can usually wait 2 minutes until the patient is in the OR. The resuscitation rooms aren't operating rooms.
In a Level I facility, it's usually surgery that assesses the traumas and runs the resuscitations. Many Level I's also have emergency medicine residencies, and it can depend on the institution what involvement emergency medicine has with the resuscitations. Some places rotate on a daily basis, some places only allow airway management by EM residents, etc.
In the community, the Level 2's and Level 3's usually don't have in-house surgeons. This can vary by state, but in Georgia, Level 2's rarely have in-house surgeons. Trauma resuscitations are solely the job of the emergency physician, and when a patient needs to be admitted or needs to go to the OR, then the trauma surgeon is called. Some Level 2's automatically notify the trauma surgeon of major traumas, and they are required to show up in 15 minutes. When they get there, then they usually run the show.
Regardless, you will get plenty of trauma experience as an emergency physician. If you love to assess and manage the initial resuscitation, then emergency medicine is for you. If you love to assess, manage the initial resuscitation, operate, and follow the patient through the ICU and floor stay (often for weeks), then trauma surgery is for you.
By the way, Georgia has
4 Level I trauma centers:
- Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, an Emory/Morehouse teaching hospital
- University Hospital in Augusta, an MCG teaching hospital
- Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, a Mercer teaching hospital
- Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, a Mercer teaching hospital