Trauma Surgery

The Program  |  Treatment Options  |  Our Team  |  Transfers  |  Locations

The Trauma Surgery Department offers a full spectrum of emergency and trauma care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Hartford Hospital is the region's first Level 1 Trauma Center, and operate the state’s first air ambulance system, LIFE STAR. Serving around the clock in the department are specialists who are board-certified in General Surgery with additional training and qualifications in Trauma and Surgical Critical Care and provide acute surgical care. In addition, care teams have access to sub-specialists at all hours of the day and night.

The mission of the department is to provide the best available and state-of-the-art care for injured patients and their families; to serve as a community resource for issues relating to injury prevention and care; to provide education to professionals and the public; and to conduct research.

This mission is achieved through a system that is broad in scope and has extensive resources. This includes, but is not limited to, a statewide pre-hospital care system providing air and ground advanced life support services, emergency department resuscitation, specialized imaging and interventional radiology, dedicated operating room, surgical and neurosurgical critical care areas, a committed trauma unit, and a rehabilitation program.

The department has shown progressive expansion and development in both clinical, research, and administrative areas with full-time traumatologists, a Director of Traumatology and an Associate Director of Traumatology.

The Hartford Hospital Trauma Service is the only American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified state designated Level I Trauma Center providing care to the injured adult patient in Northern Connecticut. In addition, Connecticut Children’s, a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, and the Integrated Trauma Service provide expert care to children. Designation as a Level I Trauma Center is given to those institutions that demonstrate excellence in clinical care of the trauma patient, as well as demonstrate a major commitment to research and education. The Department of Public Health of the State of Connecticut has chosen to use ACS verification in their designation of trauma centers.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is a serious injury or shock to the body. It is caused by a physical force such as violence or an accident. The injury may be complicated by psychiatric, behavioral, and social factors.

It is critical to have an entire team immediately available to provide care to an injured patient 24-hours a day. This teamwork starts at the scene of the injury where a coordinated, statewide pre-hospital medical system rapidly transports the injured patient from the scene to the hospital providing the appropriate level of care according to criteria established in the statewide trauma regulations. Once at the hospital, a complete team of surgeons, emergency physicians and nurses continue the life-saving treatment.

This team approach to care of the injured patient has had a dramatic impact on saving lives.

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Treatment Options

Minimally Invasive Procedures for Massive Bleeding
Injuries take many forms. The most advanced hospitals can treat injuries with a variety of approaches that involve well-known ones, like surgery, and newer ones where minimally invasive procedures can replace some surgeries.

As a Level 1 Trauma Center, Hartford Hospital has Interventional Radiologists as part of the Trauma Team. They perform procedures such as "embolization" which is a recognized interventional radiology technique that is used to treat trauma patients with massive bleeding.

Click here to see some of the advanced interventional techniques available at Hartford Hospital.

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Our Team

We employ physicians highly trained and experienced in their specialties. Learn more about each doctor’s credentials and history.

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Transfers

Emergency and Non-Emergency Transfers are One Call Away
If you are a physician and would like to transfer a patient to Hartford Hospital, please contact Hartford Hospital’s Transfer Center at 860.972.1233.

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Locations

Trauma Surgery


Injury Prevention Center (IPC)

The IPC's mission is to reduce unintentional injury and violence among Connecticut residents by translating clinical and community-based research into programs and policies.

Learn more