Trauma center

It's a common misconception that every hospital or emergency room (ER) can treat severe traumatic injuries. Traumatic injuries refer to injuries involving multiple organs or processes which, if immediate specialty care is not received, can result in disability or death.

Medical City Plano is a hospital you can trust to deliver expert care for life-threatening injuries. We have been designated a Level I Trauma Center by the Texas Department of State Health Services, making us the first and only hospital in Collin County to achieve the distinguished classification.

Trauma centers are designated as levels I through IV by the American College of Surgeons. Level I represents the highest level of trauma care and reflects Medical City Plano’s dedication to providing optimal care for severely injured patients.

To earn this distinction, we were reviewed on our emergency department facilities, operating room services and prompt availability of medical care in numerous specialties, such as trauma surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics and critical care.

Medical City Plano has the resources to deal with severely injured patients on a round-the-clock basis. Studies have shown the more experience the staff has with high-risk surgical situations, the better the patient’s chances are for survival.

Medical City Plano serves as emergency medical services (EMS) medical control for Plano and Murphy in Collin County. Medical City Plano and ground and air EMS work together to bring skillful, immediate care to critically injured patients.

Our trauma team is alerted by first responders and activated within minutes to await the arrival of the trauma patient. Our patients receive 24/7 care by board-certified doctors and nurses with advanced certifications.

The trauma team at Medical City Plano includes:

• Trauma surgeons—The continuous availability of a trauma surgeon in the ER allows us to provide the most immediate and complex care for traumatic injuries that require emergency surgery.
• Anesthesiologists—A dedicated anesthesiologist assists the surgical team in the operating room. This allows expedited operating room care for the most severely injured patients.
• Neurosurgeons—Traumatic brain injuries are assessed and treated by our expert neurosurgeons.
• Orthopedic surgeons—Our orthopedic surgeons care for severe injuries to the musculoskeletal system, such as pelvic fractures and crush injuries.
• Critical care intensivists—Intensivists specialize in leading teams and treatments for the most critically injured patients.
• Other surgical trauma specialties—Additional highly specialized surgeons are available to meet the needs of the uniquely injured trauma patient.
• Thoracic and vascular surgeons
• Hand surgeons
• Oral, maxillary and facial (OMFS) surgeons
• Ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists
• Obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) doctors
• Ophthalmologists (eye doctors)
• Plastic surgeons
• Urologists

Medical City Plano is available to care for all major traumatic injuries 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To accommodate emergent surgical trauma cases, our operating room is staffed 24 hours a day. Our trauma center has 36 beds for critical care patients and another 34 beds in our Neuro Intensive Care Unit.

If you have been involved in an accident or have sustained major traumatic injuries, do not drive yourself or have someone else drive you to the ER. For potentially fatal injuries, call an ambulance to begin receiving lifesaving care as soon as possible and faster transport to a trauma care team.