The George Washington University is an American College of Surgeons verified Level 1 trauma center. Dr. Babak Sarani serves as the trauma medical director and Ms. Stephanie Boese serves as the trauma program director. The Acute Care Surgery team provides trauma surgery, emergency general surgery, and critical care services at the George Washington University (GW) Hospital. The team evaluates and treats approximately 1,600 acutely injured patients each year. Trauma surgeons, dedicated trauma advanced practitioners, emergency medicine physicians, trauma-trained nurses, and physicians from all medical and surgical specialties are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to treat any injury regardless of severity. Located six blocks from the White House, three blocks from the State Department, and across the street from the World Bank, the Center for Trauma and Critical Care (CTACC) is prepared to service a diverse group of patients, from area residents to visiting dignitaries and heads of state from around the world.
Cutting Edge, Evidence-Based Care
CTACC prides itself on frequently being the first entity in Washington, DC to provide cutting-edge, evidence based care to acutely injured and critically ill patients.
Resuscitation from Bleeding and Shock
Based on reports and lessons learned from our military colleagues, the CTACC became the first hospital in Washington, DC to provide whole blood as a means to resuscitate bleeding patients. This practice has been shown to decrease overall bleeding and increase the chances of survival following severe injury.
Control of Bleeding
The Center also uses advanced strategies, such as partial-REBOA, to stop bleeding as soon as possible. CTACC was the first hospital in the DC Metropolitan Region to be allowed to participate in the partial-REBOA program due to our commitment to provision of evidence- based approaches for control of severe bleeding and is the only REBOA Center of Excellence in the tristate region. CTACC is also the leading center in Washington, DC for endovascular management of bleeding following injury.
Chest Wall Injury and Rib Fractures
Dr. Sarani is a founding member of the Chest Wall Injury Society and the trauma surgeons at GW continue to serve in leadership roles in this Society. GW was the first hospital to create specific pathways for surgical management of patients with severe rib fractures/chest wall injury. It has the most published experience with management of chest wall injury. It is currently the only hospital in the DC Metropolitan region to be recognized by the Chest Wall Injury Society as a collaborative center of excellence.
Pain Relief
Along with specialists for all medical and surgical disciplines, CTACC also works very closely with the George Washington University Acute Pain Service to control pain using a multi-modality approach that seeks to minimize or avoid use of opioids. This service, which is provided by the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, provides evidence-base care that is not commonly found in most hospitals, including other trauma centers. Such care includes use of ketamine and lidocaine infusions, regional blocks, and non-opioid oral medications to control pain. Patients are commonly discharged to home with regional blocks and followed by the Acute Pain Service thereby giving them the comfort of being at home while also being pain free.
Continuous Quality Improvement and Quality Assurance
The CTACC team includes a dedicated, trained, and experienced group of quality coordinators. Trauma Quality Coordinators assure we provide safe, therapeutic care in a holistic and systematic way. They integrate knowledge, skills, and experiences to meet the needs of the patients and families throughout the continuum of care, to include patient and family education. By doing so, they provide leadership and support to the healthcare team as well as to our patients and their families.
The CTACC team also has a dedicated group of trained trauma registrars who collect and run reports regarding the number and nature of injured patients seen at GW. By working with our trauma quality coordinators, this enables us to identify areas of strength as well as areas that require focus to maintain our excellent outcomes.