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The Golden Hour is defined as the time period of one hour
in which the lives of a majority of critically injured
trauma patients can be saved if definitive surgical intervention
is provided. Only 60 minutes from the moment of injury
to notify the police; dispatch an ambulance to the scene;
transport the victim to a hospital; summon the appropriate
surgical and support staff; and perform the necessary
life-saving surgery.
Without an organized, regionalized system of emergency
medical care, it is easy to imagine how that Golden
Hour could tick away before each element of the trauma
scenario could be completed. To prevent this unnecessarily
tragic situation, the State of New Jersey designated
three regional Level I trauma centers to serve its residents.
Using criteria that was formulated from the MASH experience
in Korea and Vietnam, the proven success of other states'
trauma systems and detailed guidelines from the American
College of Surgeons, the State designated UMDNJ-University
Hospital as the Level I Trauma Center serving northern
New Jersey.
Under the leadership of Dr. David Livingston, The New
Jersey Trauma Center is proud of its role in New Jersey's
developing trauma care system and has committed its
human and technological resources to improving outcomes
in the treatment of trauma patients throughout northern
New Jersey. Its success has been due, in large part,
to the skill and cooperation of community-based professionals
and volunteers. Local ambulance squads, regional MICU
systems and emergency room physicians have had, and
will continue to have, first contact with a large number
of trauma patients. Their cooperation in identifying
the percentage of cases that require the services of
a Level I Trauma Center ensures that the critical first
minutes of the Golden Hour are used most effectively.
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The
Golden Hour
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