Trauma Services

Lakeland Regional Medical Center is a Level II Trauma Center providing initial trauma care, regardless of the injury, with physician subspecialists promptly available. Florida currently has 21 trauma centers - seven Level I centers, 12 Level II centers and two pediatric trauma centers.

LRMC became a state approved Level II Trauma Center in 1998 and is the only designated trauma center for Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. While this is LRMC's primary service area, trauma patients are also received from other counties, including Hillsborough and Pasco. Expert trauma care was provided for more than 1,000 critically injured patients at LRMC in 2007. Of these patients, 74% were residents of Polk County. The majority of trauma patients at LRMC are between the ages of 16 and 65.

The LifeNet 5 Helicopter stationed at the Bartow Airbase in Polk County is utilized to transport trauma patients to LRMC that would otherwise involve ground transport times greater than 30 minutes. LifeNet's rapid response, expertly trained areomedical crew, and ability to provide resuscitation en route, including blood products, makes a difference when minutes count for the critically injured patient.

The five full-time Trauma Surgeons at LRMC provide trauma call on a continuous basis under the leadership of the Trauma Medical Director Olu Sobowale, MD. The Trauma Surgeons are board certified in Surgery and Critical Care Medicine and provide 24-hour coverage for trauma patients in the ICU. LRMC has increased the number of Orthopedic and Neuro Surgeons available to provide outstanding follow up treatment and surgery, if needed.

A trauma patient's hospital stay begins in the Emergency Department, where a multidisciplinary team of specially trained nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, radiology technologists, and pharmacists provide the initial trauma resuscitation. Trained staff and state-of-the-art equipment are immediately available and prioritized when a trauma alert is imminent. An operating suite and a team credentialed in trauma are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are three adult Intensive Care Units at LRMC, with a total of 48 beds currently available for critically sick or injured patients, with plans for a fourth ICU to be designated for Trauma and Neurosurgery. The ICU's are staffed with nurses specifically trained in trauma.

Expert care is provided for trauma victims and their families on a specific nursing unit at LRMC, either initially, or once the patient's condition improves enough to be transferred from ICU.

External Links

Learn more about Trauma Services Community Outreach and Prevention.