Health & Wellness

Colorado Health & Wellness | Spring 2016

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22 Staff of Experts Level II centers must have the staffing and advanced equipment needed to treat and stabilize any severe trauma (Level I centers, the highest level, must meet the same requirement but also have the capability of supporting any follow-up care needed.) For Level II status, trauma and specialty surgeons must be on the floor within a 15-minute period, a requirement Sky Ridge exceeds. "We decided it was important to have both a trauma surgeon and anesthesiologist on staff rather than on-call with operating- room and surgical capability 24/7," Markenson says. Sky Ridge also has an Intensive Care physician on staff at all times and a full cadre of experts ready on short notice to treat highly-complex trauma cases, including radiologists, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeons and a team of noted interventional radiologists, who can perform treatments rapidly and minimally-invasively using catheters and computer-assisted image guidance. Once Campbell was stabilized and other internal injuries ruled out, she was evaluated by Dr. Scott Resig, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in complex lower-extremity cases. "He came in and said, 'We are going to take you to surgery, and I'm going to piece your leg back together,'" Campbell says. "Later, when I saw the X-ray with all the screws and plates, I said: He really DID piece it together. It was amazing." Beyond the ER Being an elite trauma center involves more than having top ER care, something most people don't realize, Koehn says. "It includes everything from surgery and rehabilitation to prevention education and getting patients back into the community," she says. "It goes well beyond the ambulance and the trauma bay." Earning the Level II designation improves each aspect of a trauma program, which benefits all trauma patients, not just those who require Level II care, Markenson says. Campbell, who developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after her intense experience, says Sky Ridge helped her through all of her physical and emotional issues, from rehabilitation to PTSD treatment. Nightmares of the final moments before the crash — a torrent of dirt and darkness intermingled with light — repeatedly woke her up the first nights in the hospital, and staff was always there, she says. Campbell says she's thankful for Sky Ridge's new designation, and she's really grateful for her husband (whose medical evaluations revealed a heart murmur, which doctors are treating), and for their unusual decision to drive their son's big truck that night. "It saved our lives." TOP TRAUMAS AT SKY RIDGE MEDICAL CENTER 1. Falls (mainly 65 and older) Top causes: Steps, tripping in middle of night with no light 2. Motor Vehicle Accidents Top causes: Ice in winter, driving too fast for conditions, distracted driving 3. Bicycle Accidents (mainly mountain bikers) Top causes: Falls from hitting rocks or logs BY THE NUMBERS In the United States each year, trauma cases account for: Although not a Level II Trauma Center requirement, Sky Ridge Medical Center is home to a helipad for AIRLIFE, the Emergency Medical/Critical Care Transport Service of the HealthONE system. AIRLIFE, with its helicopters and Lear jets, plays a significant role in the transport of Sky Ridge's many surrounding rural residents, whose communities lack critical- care capabilities, and for whom ground transport could take hours. With more than 3,000 transports a year, it is one of the largest and busiest air medical programs in the region. AIRLIFE serves both adult and pediatric patients. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) photos: Don Eastburn

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