Critical Care continued
other specialized healthcare staff, as well
as social workers and administrative
personnel. “Having good trauma surgeons
is just part of the puzzle,” Dr. Smythe
says. “You have to have those other pieces
to be really good.” The American College
of Surgeons’ recent visit to the Scott &
White Trauma Center revealed that the
facility exceeded the criteria for a Level I
trauma center.
Dr. Probe speaks of Scott & White’s
“culture of teamwork all directed at
patients’ problems.” He cites one case in
which several teams of surgeons and
specialists working together in the
operating room saved the life of a patient
whose pelvis had been fractured and who
was experiencing significant internal
14
THE CATALYST Winter 10 | sw.org
bleeding as well. The team worked to get
her low blood pressure stabilized, and
trauma surgeon Matthew Davis, MD,
ordered transfusions to bring the bleeding
under control before taking her to an
operating room. They were able to stop the
internal bleeding, and Dr. Probe’s team
immediately took over to stabilize her
pelvis with pins and external bars.
Meanwhile, an interventional radiologist,
Paul Neese, MD, performed an angiogram
to find out which blood vessels were
bleeding and inserted coils to stop the
blood flow. “Through all this, the
anesthesiologist, Dr. David Gloyna, was
expertly managing the woman’s fluid
replacements,” says Dr. Probe.
The academics of trauma care
Regularly scheduled workshops for
physicians and nurses are held to ensure
the highest quality care. And Dr. Smythe
“You have to have [nurses, anesthesiologists,
intensivists and other specialists] to be
really good.”
—Dr. Roy Smythe