When time is of the essence, the Level I trauma
center and emergency services at Scott & White
Healthcare, now Baylor Scott & White Health,
are vital links in the chain of survival
hen a patient with multiple
injuries sustained in a car
accident arrives at Scott &
White’s trauma center via ambulance
or helicopter, the experts here are ready.
A team of up to 20 people is mobilized
in the emergency room, including
a trauma surgeon, an emergency
department physician, residents from
both specialties, and nurses, personnel
from radiology, respiratory therapy, and
the blood bank, and other caregivers.
The trauma and emergency teams
move quickly, working together during
W
what’s known as the “golden hour,”
the first hour after a traumatic injury
or accident that influences whether a
patient’s life will ultimately be saved. It
all depends upon the right care being
delivered during this short period of
time. Together, the two teams ensure
that the patient is stabilized, and
respond to the patient’s injuries until
he or she is able to move to the next
level of care.
“We’re all about saving a life, and
those first 15 minutes are critical. We
might be dealing with a collapsed
lung, severe bleeding, a traumatic
brain injury, or a severed spinal cord,”
says Matthew L. Davis, MD, trauma
medical director of Scott & White
Memorial Hospital’s Level I trauma
program. “We deliver the highest level
of care. We all are very accustomed to
working together seamlessly, and that
makes the trauma care we provide even
better and more efficient.”
This is good news for the citizens
of Central Texas because, according
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