Trauma

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.