Articles: trauma.
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Pediatric emergency care · Nov 2024
Impact of Surgical Team Involvement at the Time of Trauma Activation for Pediatric Patients With Motorized Cycle or All-Terrain Vehicle Injury Mechanism.
At our institution, level 2 trauma (L2T) activations are primarily managed by pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physicians, whereas level 1 activations are co-managed by pediatric surgery and PEM. Starting in September 2019, the response to L2T activations due to all-terrain vehicles or motorized cycles (ATVs/MCs) changed to include surgical assessment upon patient arrival due to increased likelihood of significant injuries and need for higher level of care. The impact of PEM/surgery co-management of ATV/MC L2T patients on time to an admission decision is unknown. ⋯ Early surgical assessment for pediatric patients with ATV/MC injuries improved time to an admission decision and trauma communication huddle compliance. Next steps include identifying process improvement opportunities to decrease ED total length of stay for patients with ATV/MC injuries.