A new state report shows that North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) was among the top five facilities in New York with patient survival rates for trauma care that are significantly better than the statewide average, including hospitals in Manhattan. This is the first time the state released mortality outcomes for each trauma center and region.

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) evaluated data from 44 state trauma centers from 1999 through 2002. Using data from the New York State Trauma Registry, the report details the mortality results by region, by level of hospital (regional trauma center or area trauma center) and by type of injury, such as motor vehicle crashes, impact injuries, gunshot wounds, stabbings, falls and other serious injury.

Two types of mortality were examined: inpatient mortality and deaths in emergency departments. The mortality data were risk-adjusted to account for differences in patient injury severity before comparing performance across regions and levels of care. Risk factors included age, gender, blood pressure, intubation and respiratory assistance status, coma evaluation, and a measure of anatomic injury severity.

At the time the data was collected, NSUH handled 1,200 trauma cases and had a risk-adjusted mortality rate of 5.64, which, from a statistical standpoint, was significantly lower than the statewide average rate of 8.06.

NSUH is designated a Level I Trauma Center, which provides a full range of surgical and medical specialists, as well as the most advanced lifesaving equipment available 24 hours a day to handle every aspect of a medical emergency. "For North Shore University Hospital to be ranked as one of the top trauma centers in the state demonstrates the high caliber and expertise of our entire hospital's medical staff, as well as our commitment to the community by providing the most advanced trauma services around the clock," said Dennis Dowling, executive director of NSUH and Long Island Jewish Medical Center. "By its very nature, trauma is unexpected, but the 600,000-to-700,000 Long Island and Queens residents in our service area can rest assured that, if they are ever unfortunate enough to need trauma care, they're going to get the very best."

In 1990, New York State established minimum standards for trauma centers in the state and began evaluating their performance. "The new report adds credence to the high-level trauma care we are delivering," said Mathew Bank, MD acting director of trauma at NSUH. "As a trauma center, we are required to have specialized medical teams available to respond to emergencies 24/7. Not only are we always ready to activate our trauma team, we have experience handling almost every life-threatening situation, and this translates to better patient outcomes."

Dr. Bank said a state trauma center is required to have a general trauma surgeon within 20 minutes of the hospital at all times, and a neurosurgeon available within 30 minutes, 24 hours a day. Unlike other areas of medicine, patients who are treated by the trauma team may be treated by as many as 30 to 40 healthcare professional during their hospital stay.

"Delivering the highest quality trauma care requires the hospital to be operating on all eight cylinders," said Dr. Bank. "Teamwork is key and we are all interdependent - physicians, surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopedists, nurses, emergency medicine professionals, operating rooms staff, and intensive and surgical care unit staff."

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