Injuries caused by force or impact can affect any part of the body: bones, internal organs, soft tissues, the brain, the face, the vascular system … it’s all susceptible, and trauma surgeons are specially trained to assess conditions quickly, determine the plan for treatment and move immediately into action with the right team of specialists. Your trauma surgeon will also be the one who follows up with you after surgery and oversees your care through recovery.
The success of trauma surgery is often defined by what is referred to as “the golden hour” – a standard in medicine that refers to the critical hour after a traumatic event happens. It is proven that the chances of survival are significantly higher if care begins within one hour – and only OU Medical Center is qualified and equipped to respond to any level of emergency at any time of day or night.
OU Medicine and the Oklahoma Trauma System
Injured patients often require a team of specialized providers to evaluate and provide treatment for patients. Unfortunately, access to these expert services are not available in every community – creating a need for a trauma system. A trauma system is a coordinated effort in a geographic area to provide seamless transitions across the healthcare continuum to ensure efficient use of healthcare resources so patients can access the help they need based on their injuries. The Oklahoma Trauma System Improvement and Development Act (SB 1554) was passed during the 2004 legislative session. The goal of this legislation was to facilitate the development of a statewide trauma system. Since 2004, the state trauma system has grown and developed to meet the needs of the injured. From 2006-16, OU Medicine provided trauma care for more than 45,000 patients as part of the Oklahoma trauma system.