The Trauma Center at UofL Hospital has a long-standing history of being the local, regional and national leader for trauma and burn care in Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Last year alone, our trauma center provided care for over 4,200 patients who needed the highly-specialized services of our multi-disciplinary Trauma Program. We are the region’s only American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified Level I Trauma Center for adults and we are one of only two Level I adult trauma centers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Additionally, we are the region’s first and only ABA verified Burn Center.

An ACS-Verified Level I Trauma Center means that the institution has achieved the highest level of verification to deliver care to the most severely injured patients who need it most. It means that we are equipped to handle any and all significant injuries in our state-of-the-art facility. We are staffed with an experienced and dedicated team of professionals who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for trusting us with your patients and for supporting our program. We realize that we cannot be a Trauma Center without the hard work and dedication of many individuals outside of our organization. Our regional partners, referring hospitals and pre-hospital providers are critical in our mission of providing the best available care to those in our community.

The Level I Trauma Center at UofL Hospital has provided trauma care for more than 100 years. Able to handle any emergent situation, the Trauma Center is capable of treating patients simultaneously by utilizing:

  • 43 patient bays
  • 20 trauma/surgical ICU beds
  • 16 burn beds
  • 6 stroke beds
  • 50 critical care beds

UofL Hospital treats more than 4,200 trauma and burns patients annually; over 50 percent of those patients reside in counties outside Jefferson County and its bordering counties. The number of patients seen outside the Louisville area makes the UofL Hospital Trauma Center a critical local, regional and statewide resource.

History

Celebrating over 100 years of service to our community: 1911-2017

1911: Louisville City Hospital starts accident service, representing the first designation in the country of a service whose primary mission was the care of patients with injuries and fractures

1938: Dr. R. Arnold Griswold was named Chair of the Department of Surgery and later invented an innovative device for fracture reduction – the “Griswold Machine.” Dr. Griswold also worked with the Louisville Police Department to make station wagon cars available for transport of the injured.

1942: Louisville City Hospital changes name to Louisville General Hospital

1953: Louisville General Hospital treats four victims from Louisville’s first serious airplane crash at Standiford  Field. Of the 41 people on board, 25 die.

1982: University Hospital named Level 1 Trauma Center

1989: Trauma Center treats 13 gunshot victims of (then) worst workplace shooting in U.S. history that took place at Standard Gravure

1999: Emergency Department’s $13 million expansion completed, more than doubling its size. “Room 9” is remodeled, a dedicated room used to treat critically ill trauma patients.

2000: University Hospital’s Emergency Department featured on an episode of TLC’s Trauma, Life in the ER

2004: Jockey Tony D’Amico was treated in Trauma Center after being seriously injured in Nov. 3 race at Churchill Downs. The 49-year-old rider suffered a fractured left collarbone, four fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

2006: Full renovation of Burn Unit (region’s only adult burn unit) completed. The new unit features five ICU treatment beds and a hydrotherapy tub.

2015: Successful Level I trauma re-verification visit from the American College of Surgeons

2016: Trauma Program Social Workers added to the Trauma Center team

2017: Stop the Bleed featured as a national outreach program

2017: Implemented Pivot to Peace Intervention Network, providing resources to patients who have been hospitalized due to a violent injury.

2018: Successful Level 1 trauma re-verification visit from the American College of Surgeons.

2018: Opened newly expanded and renovated, 16-bed Burn Center.

ACS Verification

UofL Hospital Re-Verified as a Level I Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons

UofL Hospital’s Trauma Center is verified as a Level I Trauma Center by the Verification Review Committee (VRC), an ad hoc committee of the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). This achievement recognizes University Hospital’s dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients. Established by the American College of Surgeons in 1987, the COT’s Consultation/Verification Program for Hospitals promotes the development of trauma centers in which participants provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care but also the entire spectrum of care to address the needs of all injured patients. This spectrum encompasses the pre-hospital phase through the rehabilitation process.

Verified trauma centers must meet the essential criteria that ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance, as outlined by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma in its current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.

The ACS Committee on Trauma’s verification program does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional, or state health care systems agencies.

Research to Improve Patient Care

Our Trauma Center is always looking to improve outcomes using evidence-based practices. These best practices are the results of identifying areas of research or performance improvement from direct patient care experiences. Many of our performance improvement projects develop into research studies that will ultimately improve patient outcomes. This collaborative research project has been selected for poster presentation at the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma’s Annual Meeting.

Patients who undergo splenectomies during trauma care are at life-long risk for developing episodes of rapidly progressive septicemia, known as overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis (OPSS). In an effort to reduce these risks, splenectomy patients are recommended to receive vaccinations against pneumococci, meningococci, Haemophilus influenzae type b and influenza virus. Patients should also be placed on an appropriate re-vaccination schedule and be educated regarding the importance of fever or infectious symptoms given their asplenia. Patients at UofL Hospital are routinely administered vaccines prior to discharge and provided with appropriate education regarding the risks of post-splenectomy infection. This includes a formal conversation from a trauma practitioner, as well as written information provided at discharge. However, since most patients do not follow up with their trauma providers beyond their initial period of injury convalescence, little is known about compliance in regards to post-splenectomy risk reduction over time. Despite uniform education prior to discharge, most patients undergoing splenectomy for trauma at our institution were unaware of the risks of OPSS and did not follow our recommended guidelines for risk reduction. Though OPSS is rare, it carries significant mortality. Further research targeting methods to improve compliance with recommendations is indicated.

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