Trauma: Referral Directory

Physician Contacts:

Steve Megison, M.D. - Medical Director

Key Contacts:

Lori Vinson, RN, BSN - Program Manager

Description of services:

Children who have sustained multiple-system trauma or significant injuries are admitted under the care of a trauma service attending surgeon who is on call 24 hours. Surgeons participating in the trauma service are on the medical staff at Children’s and have privileges to admit and manage critically injured patients. Single system or isolated injuries are managed by surgeons of the following surgical sub-specialty departments: general pediatric surgery, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, urology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Procedures performed or problems diagnosed and treated:

Related procedures and management for all types of injuries in children.

Information for referral sources:

Transfer of acutely injured children can be facilitated though the Children’s Access Center at at 888-730-DOCS (3627).

Why Children's Medical Center?

• Children’s Medical Center Dallas is the first pediatric hospital in Texas with a designated Level I Trauma Center.
• Approximately 1,300 injured children are admitted annually to the Trauma Service at Children’s.
• Approximately 14,000 injured children are seen in the Emergency Center annually at Children’s.
• Injured children are managed from admission through rehabilitation and integration back in the community by a multidisciplinary team of physicians on the medical staff, nurses, care coordinators, nurse practitioners, child life specialists, social workers and physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists to promote optimal outcomes.
• The comprehensive multidisciplinary trauma clinic is one-of-a-kind in the region. The clinic’s goal is to meet all of the needs of patients and their families in each follow-up visit and to eliminate the need for multiple appointments to the many specialists often involved in caring for the injured child.
• The Trauma Injury Prevention Program at Children’s works with the Greater Dallas Injury Prevention Center and the National Safe Kids Coalition, as well as other community coalitions, to educate the public about preventing injuries.
• The Trauma Services’ Injury Prevention Program maintains a comprehensive trauma registry and scientifically analyzes injury statistics to pin-point the areas where intervention is needed.
• Children’s is the lead organization for the Dallas Area Safe Kids Coalition.
• Pediatric trauma education for physicians is provided at Children’s. The Trauma Service at Children’s trains resident physicians and provides this Continuing Medical Education through monthly Trauma Grand Rounds.
• The Trauma Services’ research program is a vital component to earning level-one status. A few of the research studies under way include:
  • Evaluating the efficacy of an injury prevention intervention provided to parents/guardians of acutely injured children during hospitalization.
  • Identifying the difference in safety behavior and safety knowledge of parents/guardians to injured children who receive an injury prevention intervention fro those who receive standard safety information.
  • Analysis of children ages 4-8 in motor vehicle collisions.
  • Analysis of children with all-terrain vehicle injuries.
  • Examination of outcomes in children with severe traumatic brain injury.

Related Listings:

• Neuropsychology
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Transport/Transfer Center
• Pediatric Surgery
• Emergency and First Care
• Orthopaedics
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation