Trauma Services

The Emergency and Trauma Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital is a leader in the treatment and care of injured children.  We are nationally recognized as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the only pediatric hospital to receive this verification designation in Missouri and Illinois.  At the state level, the Emergency and Trauma Center is a designated Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the states of Missouri and Illinois.

ACS trauma verification means that St. Louis Children’s Hospital has met the highest standards set for a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, and has taken the hospital to another level of expertise and the highest level of preparation to care for injured children.  Our goal is to continually pursue excellence in all aspects of pediatric trauma care.

What is the American College of Surgeons (ACS)?

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that began in 1913. The ACS works to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient -- before, en route and during hospitalization. It does so by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.

What is ACS verification?

The ACS Consultation/Verification Program helps hospitals to evaluate and improve trauma care. It provides an objective, external review of a trauma center's resources and performance. A team of trauma experts completes an on-site review of the hospital. The team assesses relevant features of the program. These include commitment, readiness, resources, policies, patient care, and performance improvement.

Ready to respond

An essential component of a trauma center is to anticipate and be ready for the needs of the critically injured child 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. Thorough evaluation and treatment must be provided in a timely manner. The operating room and trained staff must be immediately available. Because children are the focus at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, all training and education, as well as equipment, are pediatric specific.

Following the guidelines prescribed by the American College of Surgeons, a comprehensive system to immediate and definitive care for the injured child was established. Trauma Services works to continually improve critical elements of trauma care such as:

• Access to the system
• Pre-hospital care
• Field Triage
• Acute hospital care
• Rehabilitation
• Injury prevention
• Burns

Approximately 58,000 patients are seen in the Emergency Department each year; approximately 1,500 of those cases are injury-related, from minor to severe including head injury, burns and orthopedics.

What is a pediatric trauma center?

A Pediatric Trauma Center is distinguished from other facilities in that it guarantees the immediate availability and dedication of specialized pediatric surgeons, anesthesiologists, physician specialists, nurses, pediatric resuscitation equipment and an available operating room on a 24 hour-a-day basis.

What requirements must a Level 1 pediatric trauma center meet?

The publication from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient, has been used as a guide for the development of trauma systems in the United States. The State of Missouri has utilized this guide in establishing the Trauma Center regulations (19 CSR 30.40.410-440). For designation as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, pediatric surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, and trauma program managers from various regions of the country provide a rigorous on-site review in order to ensure compliance of these regulations. St. Louis Children’s Hospital has been a designated Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center since 1981 in the state of Missouri and since 2011 in the state of Illinois.