Seriously injured patients in Oregon are more likely to survive when transferred from small-town hospitals to high-level trauma centers, a new study shows.

While transporting critically ill patients long distances by ambulance or aircraft adds risk, the study provides evidence that the benefits of specialized trauma centers more than make up for that risk.

“That’s been the assumption, but this is statistical proof that the system does work,” said Dr. Seth Izenberg, a trauma surgeon at Legacy Emanuel Hospital & Health Center in Portland who was not involved in the study.

In Oregon’s statewide trauma system, small community hospitals serve as the first providers of care for people injured in rural areas. Emergency room doctors at such hospitals must decide whether to treat the patient locally or arrange a transfer to a more advanced trauma center.

Izenberg said it’s often a tough decision complicated by the patient’s changing condition, which can deteriorate unexpectedly, and the limits imposed by weather and the availability of aircraft, surgeons and hospital beds at trauma centers.

“It’s a fluid and dynamic problem,” Izenberg said.

Filed under: EMS, Proper Practices