It’s designated for our most critically injured patients. “Most commonly it’s falls, motor vehicle crashes, then there’s gunshot and stabbing patients and other sorts of things,” said Dr. Hothem.
Lee Health has the only trauma center serving our five-county-region Dr. Zach Hothem is one of the surgeons. “A trauma center is different in the sense that we have a whole group, a whole team right here ready for the patient. We have nurses, we have respiratory, and we have all different specialists at our disposal. We have operating room, radiology, CT scanners. All these things are set to treat patients in a very timely manner, because time is of the essence after a patient is critically injured.”
When a patient arrives in the trauma bay, they typically get a work up and imaging. “If they’re really sick and there’s internal injury, we’ll take them to the operating room at that time. Otherwise, they will be admitted up to our trauma ICU or one of our trauma floors where they’re monitored by us,” said Dr. Hothem.
There is a trauma surgeon available 24/7. Various specialists are also always on call in case of an emergency. “There’s people at the head of the bed, people on the side of the bed, ultrasound machines we have things to transfuse blood products and we’re constantly moving around the patient,” said Dr. Hothem.
It’s crucial that critically injured patients are brought to the trauma center within an hour of their injury. “Hopefully you don’t have to come see us, but if you do we’re ready for you and we will get you taken care of,” said Dr. Hothem. Lee Health’s Trauma Center moved to Gulf Coast Medical Center in early 2022.
