Trauma Care

Choosing Children’s National for Trauma Care

As the primary pediatric trauma center in the region, we understand how challenging and frightening an injury can be for our patients and their families. Our acute response team of surgeons, nurses and emergency medicine specialists provide immediate intervention when your child arrives at the hospital. Trauma Surgery coordinates with specialists in Emergency Medicine, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and other specialists to provide a full range of diagnostic services and treatment for acutely injured patients.

Highlights of our program include:

• Level 1 Verified Pediatric Trauma Center. Verified as a  Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS). This distinction recognizes care at a trauma center by improving quality outcomes, preventing complications, reducing costs and saving lives.
• Transport services. When your child needs transportation to Children's National Hospital, our communications specialists in the Emergency Communication and Information Center work with regional and international Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to provide an ambulance, helicopter or other flight transport to Children's National.
• Dedicated pediatric specialists. Our social workers, child life therapist, child psychologist and psychiatrist are available to support the needs of injured children and families.
• Nationally-recognized leader. The trauma team is nationally recognized as a leader in the pediatric trauma community.

Treating Your Child's Traumatic Injury

Trauma can occur in many forms, but the team at Children’s National Hospital has the expertise needed to care for your child. “Trauma” is defined as an injury to human tissues and organs resulting from the impact of energy from the environment. A traumatic injury can be anything from a bruise to life-threatening physical injuries.

There are three categories of traumatic injury:

• Blunt injuries are the most common type of injury in children. A blunt injury is the result from direct contact of a blunt object with the body. Example: An injury caused by a motor vehicle crash or being hit by a car.
• Penetrating injuries are caused when the body is pierced or lacerated by an object. A penetrating injury is a gunshot, impalement or knife wound. An impalement occurs when the body is pierced by a sharp object not meant to cut the body. Example: A nail through a hand.
• Crush injuries are a result of physical trauma from an extended compression of the toros, arms, legs, or other parts of the body. Example: A dog bite.

No matter the type of trauma, our Pediatric Trauma Center is specialized to help care for your child.

Benefits of a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center

• 24 hours per day, 365 days per year in-house board-certified surgical specialists of all specialties, a team of nurses and support staff
• Referral resource for community hospitals in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia
• Robust research efforts to help develop innovations in trauma care
• Leadership in injury prevention and public education within the DMV