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Tue, 29 Apr 2003 17:09:29 -0500

On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 14:00:00 -0700, "Nick Nudell"
<paramednick@comcast.net> said:
> As another note, it is quite common for the ground ambulances to
> transport trauma patients past other closer hospitals to get to our
> trauma center. From subjective evidence, it appears that this may
> sometimes add 20 minutes to the transport. Recently there was a left
> axillary 5th ICS stabbing that rode nearly 30 minutes to get to us. The
> patient was fortunately stable and the trauma team only was needed for
> about 15 minutes till we stapled him and cleaned up the dried blood. If
> he was unstable then things would have probably been a little
> different.
>
> Regards Nick
>

One of the things about having the concentration of trauma centers that
you have in the San Francisco Bay Area is that the community hospitals
will not see enough trauma to be able to a very good job.

Even the gang bangers know enough to bypass the local hospitals to drop
stabbings and shootings in the parking lot of a trauma center.

Why bypass the family doctor's office to take the unstable patient to the
emergency department? Wouldn't it be better to get the patient to a
doctor sooner.

Emergency medicine is a specialty that most doctors can not handle well.
Trauma is a specialty that most emergency departments do not handle well.

Tim Noonan.

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