Trauma Anesthesia
The UMass Division of Trauma Anesthesiology provides emergent care for injured patients through the UMass Memorial Health Level 1 trauma center at our University Campus. The trauma center sees between 2,500-3,000 annual trauma activations. With about 1,200 admissions a year to the ICU, over half are trauma patients, often requiring multiple complex surgeries throughout their hospital stay. The medical center has 60 ICU beds for trauma as well as other surgical subspecialties.
The department cares for a majority of these trauma patients during their hospitalization by either providing skilled resuscitation in the operating room, pain management post-injury through the acute pain service or through care of critically ill trauma patients in the intensive care units by our critical care board certified faculty. Our department often co-manages the care of these critically ill patients with colleagues from the departments of trauma surgery and neuro critical care.
In an effort to improve perioperative care of our trauma patients, all trauma anesthesiology faculty are trained in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and several serve as instructors in the courses as well.
Residents have a wide range of exposure to trauma patients through operating room rotations and on-call duties at University Campus as well as ICU rotations through all the trauma units. Weekly bedside trauma rounds enhance education for residents and faculty from all departments.