ACS designates Stanford as level-2 pediatric trauma center

Stanford's trauma center has been verified as a level-2 pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons.

The new status takes into account trauma treatment capabilities of the pediatric emergency department as well as the ability of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital to offer such services as pediatric surgery, pediatric intensive care unit stays and pediatric physical or occupational therapy to children recovering from traumatic injuries. The trauma center emergency department is physically located inside Stanford Hospital and serves both children and adults.

According to the ACS, institutions that achieve level-2 pediatric trauma center status possess "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 prehospital phase through the rehabilitation process."

The new status was granted after an extensive on-site review conducted by an independent review team. In the past, the emergency department at Stanford Hospital has been evaluated by ACS reviewers using only the criteria for an adult trauma center. (The Stanford ED has had level-1 status, the most advanced designation, on the adult side for several years.) This year marked the first time the emergency department's pediatric capabilities were evaluated separately. The emergency department did not meet the minimum volume of 200 pediatric trauma patients per year to qualify for the level-1 pediatric designation, but the Stanford/Packard team anticipates that they will pass this threshold in the near future.

The separate pediatric designation is good news for kids who are injured, explained nurse Karla Earnest, RN, the pediatric trauma co-ordinator. "Especially under age 14, kids are different anatomically from adults," she said. Having access to a pediatric trauma surgeon, for instance, ensures that small children will get the best possible repair for a traumatic injury. "You need that level of expertise," Earnest said.