SBCH Level II Trauma Center Earns ACS Distinction

May 16, 2005

The Committee on Trauma of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has verified Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital's Level II Trauma Center for its dedication to providing excellent care for severely injured adult and pediatric patients.

Verification by the ACS's Committee on Trauma is given to trauma centers that meet essential criteria delineated in the "Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient" manual, and follows a comprehensive on-site review of the center by an outside team of experienced trauma surgeons. SBCH is one of only 16 California hospitals to receive ACS verification for its trauma services.

In August 2001, SBCH was designated a Level II trauma center by Santa Barbara County Emergency Medical Services. It is the only one of its kind between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The designation allows ambulances to transport critically injured and ill people throughout the county to SBCH, rather than to the nearest hospital, which may not be equipped to treat such patients.

At SBCH's Trauma Center, a team of trauma specialists is on call around the clock. Specialists include physicians, trauma surgeons, neuro surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, nurses, respiratory therapists, radiology technicians, and anesthesiologists. Psychiatric specialists, social workers, discharge planners, and rehabilitation therapists also play an important role in assuring trauma patients' recovery.

In 2004, approximately 1,500 patients initiated a full trauma center response. About 1,200 of those patients were admitted to the hospital. More than 50 of those critically ill patients were not expected to live, but thanks to the care of the SBCH trauma team they survived.

To commemorate this milestone, a celebration was held to honor those who participated in saving the life of one patient, Patty Delatorre. Patty is a living testament to what can happen when incredibly committed professionals work together with their hearts and hands. Dr. Kenneth Waxman, Director of Trauma Services, and Kelly Kam, Trauma Nurse Coordinator, told Patty's gripping story last week at SBCH, calling to the stage just a few of the many people involved in her care. Ten years ago, this story would have ended in tragedy, but the trauma system created by CHS in partnership with the county's Emergency Medical Services led to a happy ending.

On November 1, 2004 , Patty was in a head-on collision near the junction of Highways 1 and 101. Her car rolled several times, and came to rest on its roof. Patty was hanging upside down from her seat belt, unconscious and severely injured. County fire department personnel were the first on the scene, setting into motion procedures involving dozens of people.

After painstakingly freeing Patty from the car, CalStar Air Ambulance arrived to take her to Santa Barbara Airport . Nurses fought to stabilize her throughout the flight. Then she was transported to SBCH by ambulance, where nurses, surgeons, radiologists, and many more waited for her. Patty was near death, but the team pressed on. They performed CT scans, angiography, surgeries on her shattered liver and broken pelvis, and gave her more than 64 units of blood in the first 24 hours.

Patty was at SBCH for 29 days, and her recovery involved people too numerous to mention individually. Departments, services, and specialties involved included:

• Emergency
• Blood Bank
• Trauma Services
• 5 South
• Radiology (CT)
• Respiratory Therapy
• ICU
• Psychiatric Services
• Angiography
• Spiritual Care
• Anesthesiology
• Discharge Planning
• Trauma Surgery
• Physical Therapy
• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedic Surgery

At the celebration, the last person to come to the stage was Patty herself, walking with a cane but walking nonetheless. With her husband and two children beside her, she thanked everyone who had a part in her survival, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

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