Traumatic injuries due to car accidents, falls and firearms are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 40. Fortunately, the annual number of serious injuries has fallen in recent years and medical advances have helped improve survival rates. To help raise awareness of traumatic injuries, Houston Northwest Medical Center will recognize the month of May as National Trauma Awareness Month.

A hospital’s trauma program is ranked by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma depending on the level of care they provide, from Level I being comprehensive care to Level IV being basic care. All trauma centers work together to ensure that people in the communities they serve receive the appropriate level of care.

The Emergency Department at Houston Northwest Medical Center is designated a Level III advanced trauma facility by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The 49-bed department is equipped with 47 private treatment rooms and two trauma rooms, which provide for the prompt assessment, resuscitation and stabilization for injured patients. Emergency operations can be performed by general surgeons who are required to be at this level of facility. Standardized treatment protocols are in place and transfer agreements have been made with higher level facilities to provide definitive trauma care for patients with more severe injuries. Anesthesia services are present and available 24 hours a day for all operations and radiologists are promptly available when requested. Operating rooms have the essential equipment and laboratory services are available for the standard analyses of blood, urine and other body fluids. Qualified nurses provide care in the intensive care unit and the blood bank has an adequate supply to meet the needs of injured patients.

For more information about preventing traumatic injuries for children, visit www.hnmc.com/SafetyforKids.