Miller Children’s & Women's is one of only six Los Angeles County designated pediatric trauma centers. A hospital receives this designation if it is equipped with personnel and resources to provide surgical and life-saving care to critically injured patients. Some of the requirements needed include:

  • In-house trauma surgeon, ED physician and anesthesiologist
  • On-call neurosurgeon, orthopedic surgeon and other pediatric sub-specialists

There are certain county-designated criteria for paramedics to bring the child to a pediatric designated Trauma Center. A trauma patient is a child who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury with the potential for secondary complications such as shock, respiratory failure, or death.

If it is decided that the patient is a trauma patient the trauma response team is activated to await the patient’s arrival. Miller Children’s & Women's has a designated trauma room, where life-saving equipment and technology designed and sized to fit a small child is available for quality trauma care. After the trauma surgery, the child is usually transferred to the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Community Education & Injury Prevention Program 

The key to preventing trauma is education. Miller Children's & Women's is dedicated to preventing injuries and deaths resulting from trauma. Injury prevention programs and support provided by Miller Children's & Women's include:

  • Stop the Bleed: No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will always be first on the scene. A person who is bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, therefore it’s important to quickly stop blood loss. “Stop the Bleed” is a nationwide campaign to empower individuals to act quickly and save lives.

Other Team Members

Members of the Trauma Response Team

When a pediatric trauma code is called, all members of the Trauma Response Team mobilize immediately and report to the trauma room. This specialty team covers multiple disciplines to ensure that the trauma patient’s needs are met.

  • PICU Attending
  • Trauma Surgeon
  • Pediatric Resident
  • ED Physician
  • ED Nurse
  • ED Technician
  • Child Life
  • Social Worker
  • Respiratory Therapist
  • Radiology Technician
  • Lab Technician
  • OR Nurse
  • Trauma Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant