Alternative model for a pediatric trauma center: efficient use of physician manpower at a freestanding children's hospital.

Background: Freestanding children's hospitals may lack resources, especially surgical manpower, to meet American College of Surgeons trauma center criteria, and may organize trauma care in alternative ways.

Materials And Methods: At a tertiary care children's hospital, attending trauma surgeons and anesthesiologists took out-of-hospital call and directed initial care for only the most severely injured patients, whereas pediatric emergency physicians directed care for patients with less severe injuries. Survival data were analyzed using TRISS methodology.

Results: A total of 903 trauma patients were seen by the system during the period 10/1/96-6/30/01. Median Injury Severity Score was 16, and 508 of patients had Injury Severity Score > or =15. There were 83 deaths, 21 unexpected survivors, and 13 unexpected deaths. TRISS analysis showed that z-score was 4.39 and W-statistic was 3.07.

Conclusions: Mortality outcome from trauma in a pediatric hospital using this alternative approach to trauma care was significantly better than predicted by TRISS methodology.