ANN ARBOR, MI -The University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital has been reverified as a pediatric Level 1 trauma center by the Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons in recognition of its dedication to providing optimal care for injured patients. Mott Hospital's Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Program is one of only 13 programs of its kind in North America.

“This designation acknowledges our continued commitment to having the best trauma care available for all of our pediatric patients,” says Oliver S. Soldes, M.D., director of the Mott Pediatric Trauma Program, and clinical assistant professor of surgery in the Section of Pediatric Surgery at the U-M Medical School. “It is a very prestigious accomplishment, and we are proud to be one of only a few pediatric trauma programs in the country to provide this high level of care to injured patients.”

As a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Program, Mott has the ability to care for the most severely injured pediatric patients, and also serve as a comprehensive resource to all regional hospitals caring for injured children. In July 2003, the U-M Trauma Burn Center, part of the U-M Health System, was also reverified as a Level 1 trauma and verified burn center by the COT and the American Burn Association.

To become verified, the Pediatric Trauma Program was required to meet the criteria outlined in the COT's Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient to ensure trauma care capability and institutional performance. Also, in demonstrating leadership in research, education, outreach/prevention and system planning, the Pediatric Trauma Program proved its status as a Level 1 center.

The Mott Pediatric Trauma Program offers specialized care, services, equipment and staff who are trained to treat serious trauma injuries. Its capabilities also include 24-hour in-house coverage by pediatric general surgeons, and prompt availability of care in specialties such as orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology, internal medicine and critical care.

The program also has cardiac, hand, microvascular surgery, Extracorporeal Life Support, commonly known as Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), and hemodialysis capabilities. The pediatric surgical team offers the latest advances in surgical techniques, including minimally invasive procedures.

The COT's Verification/Consultation Program, established in 1987 by the ACS, promotes the development of trauma centers to provide not only the hospital resources necessary for trauma care, but also the entire spectrum of care – from pre-hospitalization to rehabilitation – to address the needs of all injured patients.

The ACS Committee on Trauma does not designate trauma centers. Rather, the program provides a confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients. The actual establishment and the designation of trauma centers is the function of local, regional or state health care agencies, such as the local emergency medical services (EMS) authority.

There are four separate categories of verification in the COT's program. Each category has specific criteria that must be met by a facility seeking that level of verification. Each hospital has an on-site review team of experienced trauma surgeons who use the current Resources for the Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual as a guideline in conducting the survey.

The ACS is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical education and practice, and to improve the care of the surgical patients. The college has 59,000 members and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world. Longstanding achievements have placed the college in the forefront of American surgery, and have made it an important advocate for all surgical patients.

The U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital is one of the nation's leading pediatric institutions. In 2003, Mott was ranked fifth on Child magazine's list of the 10 best Children's Hospitals in America, in recognition of its excellence in medical care and research and its emphasis on putting patients and families first.

To learn more about Mott, visit www.med.umich.edu/mott.

Contact: Krista Hopson

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