Trauma
Our Expertise
When a trauma patient arrives at our Emergency Department, the trauma team mobilizes into action. A beeper system immediately summons specialists including surgeons, pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, and anesthesiologists to a trauma area uniquely equipped to handle our injured patients. After initially stabilizing the patient, the team assesses specific injuries to various organ systems. Because most trauma victims suffer multiple injuries, we prioritize the injuries and coordinate the interventions with appropriate clinical and surgical services as necessary. A trauma nurse coordinator serves as an advocate for the family and ensures all aspects of care are addressed.
The Trauma Program at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital also serves as the receiving center for many trauma patients who are stabilized and then transferred from other hospitals.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Treatment may include admission to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other health professionals provide intensive medical care. This includes close monitoring of bodily functions and conditions, including heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, for example, as well as the latest interventions and treatments, including specialty ventilation techniques and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)--a technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose heart and lungs are not functioning. A wide range of serious medical and surgical conditions are treated by the PICU staff, including respiratory failure, serious infections, congenital heart disease, and trauma.
After Care
After being treated for an injury, our patients often require further care from other health professionals. Social workers and pediatric physical therapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists are on hand to provide extensive follow-up when needed. We are also affiliated with outstanding pediatric rehabilitation centers, including Blythedale Children's Hospital in Valhalla, New York, St. Mary's Rehabilitation Center for Children in Ossining, New York, the RUSK Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University, and Children's Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, New Jersey.
Community Outreach
Accident and injury prevention is a key component of our educational outreach. The Injury and Violence Prevention Center at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital is one of 15 national sites in the Injury Free Coalition for Kids funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to promote safe neighborhoods, activities, and lifestyles for the children. Part of our mission to reduce and prevent childhood injuries requires going into the communities with educational programs conducted at schools and health fairs. That message includes stressing the importance of wearing bicycle helmets, skate boarding safety, and crossing the street properly.
Additionally, our staff evaluates community playgrounds for unsafe conditions and has helped to develop funding to rebuild them.
Contact
- Pediatric Trauma
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Directions
(212) 305-9911
