Selected Podcast
The Value of Our Level I Trauma Center
When faced with trauma, you have a choice in where you'd prefer to receive treatment. Dr. Michel Aboutanos, Chief of Acute Care Surgical Services and Medical Director of the Adult Level I Trauma Center, discusses the care available at the VCU Health Level I Trauma Center.
Featured Speaker:
Michel Aboutanos, MD, MPH
Michel Aboutanos, MD, MPH is the Chief of Acute Care Surgical Services and Medical Director, Adult Level I Trauma Center.
Transcription:
The Value of Our Level I Trauma Center
Prakash Chandran (Host): VCU Health is home to the region’s top Level I trauma center. Dr. Michel Aboutanos, who leads the medical team, shares why he is equally passionate about the clinical care we provide to injured patients as he is about the injury prevention to keep you and your loved ones safe.
This is Healthy with VCU Health. I am Prakash Chandran and today, we are joined by Dr. Michel Aboutanos who is the Chief of Acute Care Surgical Services and the Chief of Trauma at the VCU Level I Trauma Center. Dr. Aboutanos, it is a pleasure to have you here today. So, to start us off, I know that people listening might feel that all emergency care is created equal and they might not have a choice of where they go when something serious happens. I would love to get your take on that and how it relates to the Trauma Center at VCU Health.
Michel Aboutanos, MD, MPH, FACS (Guest): That’s a very important question you asked. There’s definitely a choice of where you need to go and where you should go when you or your loved one is involved in an injury, whether it’s a car crash or it’s a fall or any kind of other injuries you may have. Therefore, you have the choice to say, “I want to be taken to VCU Trauma Center” as an example. And it does make a huge difference of where you go. And this is why VCU Level I Trauma Center is where we think people should really go and where I would send my family. It is because we have the most comprehensive and the most experienced level of trauma care that you could have.
And this is incredibly important. What matters the most in trauma is time. Our ability to be prepared and to get to the patient and deliver the highest level of care at the most experienced hand in order to be able to stop the injury, not have it get worse and not lead to very bad situation or circumstances or outcomes. Therefore, definitely where you go extremely matters with regard to the outcome and how well you will do.
Host: That is very reassuring to hear. I would love to learn a little bit more about what specifically separates the VCU Health Trauma Center from the other emergency care facilities in the area. I’m assuming that it comes down to the team of surgeons and nurses and the experience that they have, is that correct?
Dr. Aboutanos: I think it is a mistake that people only focus on, for example, the physician. It is really the entire system that is built together, the teamwork that we have together and most importantly, the experience we’ve had. We have been doing this for over 30 years where we have learned what works best and some of the toughest cases that would not have survived anywhere else, we have been able to learn from them and have survived in our hands and our experience. I think this is an extremely important aspect. For trauma, you have to have excellent leadership, ability to have a very well organized team, compassionate team. That’s really important. And a team that has done it before has seen it. That is nothing new for us. And this is why I think it’s extremely important to know where someone should go.
I’ll give you an example. One of my patients for example, he was deer hunting and he fell off a deer stand, took hours to get him to us. He had significant number of injuries when he came in; he would not have survived anywhere else. Under our hands, he had 19 operations by the time we were able to save him. And what he received, not only the best surgical care, but also the phenomenal nursing care they have in our Intensive Care Unit. He was there for two months and he walked out of here. He is now one of my favorite patients. He comes back and sees me in the clinic. He got to go back to his family, and he knows, and he tells me often; I would not be here if I didn’t say “I want to go to VCU” as this is where I knew I would get the best of care.
And I could tell you the story about 4000 times. We see about 4300 patients a year that are admitted to trauma and this is the care that we deliver. My father had a head bleed from a fall, and he was in Pennsylvania. I flew him all the way over here for my team, for our team to take care of him, knowing very well this is where he would get the best of care. And I had to stand back because I was now a family member. I had to step back and watch this team that I totally believe in take care of the person that I totally, totally love.
Host: That is incredible and thanks so much for sharing that with us. One of the things that you said that resonated with me was that some people only focus on the physicians at an organization but you really work as this cohesive unit. Everyone has a role to play in bringing a comprehensive level of care that frankly saves lives. So, I’m curious as to what people might do before an accident happens to better prepare themselves like potentially tell someone or write something down that says that they prefer to go to VCU Health when something like this happens.
Dr. Aboutanos: Yeah, because it depends on the type of the injury that you have. Definitely, have your family members also be aware of where you would like to go because that is extremely important. When you are injured, many times, you are under a lot of stress, you do not have all your whereabouts and so having something in your ID, in your wallet that says, “If I’m injured, please take me to VCU.” That makes a big difference. Telling your family members that this is where I would really like to go, this is where I think I would get the best of care, is important so that everybody knows.
The way that the system works is that the prehospital provider takes you to the closest, most appropriate facility. That’s due to their algorithm, the outline of where they need to go. But people don’t know that they have the choice and so if you could communicate, communicate the choice. If you feel you may not be able to be prepared that everybody around you knows, write down that “if I have a trauma, VCU is where to go”. So there would be no ambiguity and not an issue as far as I really did not want to come to this hospital or this other hospital. Right off the bat, if you are prepared, then things will go the right way.
Host: I it seems like there is a lot of education that is offered at VCU Health. I know you have the Center for Trauma and Critical Care education program. So, maybe someone listening to this, can do some pre-incident work to really just be proactive about the type of care they are going to receive and like you said, update that medical card. Can you maybe talk a little bit about the CTCCE?
Dr. Aboutanos: Sure. Our Center for Trauma Critical Care Education has also been around for over 30 years. It goes back to the whole concept of teamwork. So, over 30 years ago; we realized that in order for you to get the best of care in the hospital, you should get the best of care on the street as well. And we take our commitment to the community very seriously. We went to the General Assembly where we were able to have the Center created where we could educate all the prehospital providers - paramedics, the EMTs, the firefighters - to train them so they could deliver the best of care on the streets and we take this education very, very seriously.
And so we educate close to 5000 students per year. Students, by that I mean anybody who attends our classes. So, it is a significant commitment. We train almost one-half of all the prehospital providers in the entire Commonwealth. And this is a huge service that also speaks volumes of how we are committed to have a community approach, not only a hospital approach. We train all our providers to take care of you, to know what you need on the streets, in your home, wherever, whether you had a car crash or if you have fallen or you are injured in any other way. We put our license on the line when we train them, and they operate under our license. We take that seriously.
It’s a comprehensive approach like the one I talked about before. We know they get the best of care in the streets and the ambulances when they get to us, and we continue that best of care here in our hospital.
Host: That really is a fantastic approach. One of the next things I wanted to ask you about was recovery and how it relates to the team that you work with, specifically around how going to a trauma center like the one at VCU Health can help speed in the recovery process and get people back to a normal lifestyle faster.
Dr. Aboutanos: That is our number one objective. The minute the patient gets in with us, the first thing we are looking at is how we can send them back to their family in a functional and a safe place. We know that is our objective from the beginning. So, because we have a comprehensive approach and a multidisciplinary team, we have people who are involved whether it is physical therapy, occupational therapy, or rehab, already involved right from the beginning in the care of the patient. Therefore, everything matters.
So, the fact that even though we have the most experienced surgeons and nurses and pharmacists and nutritionists etc., as a team working very hard to get you better at the same time, we are working the social aspects of what can get you functionally better into the community. It is that comprehensive, holistic way of looking at the trauma patient. We don’t just focus on the injury. We focus literally on the patient. We focus on you and when you are injured, where you live, what kind of structure you would need in order for us to help you get back to the people that love you the most and that care for you.
Host: It really does seem like that comprehensive level of care and holistic approach that you take with your team is so incredibly important. And, hearing you today, the one thing that I’ve learned is that not all Level I trauma centers are created equal. It is important to learn the capabilities of care in the hospitals in your area. After talking with you Dr. Aboutanos, I am definitely convinced that VCU Health is the place to go. So, thank you so much for your time. That is Dr. Michel Aboutanos, the Chief of Acute Care Surgical Services and the Chief of Trauma at the VCU Level I Trauma Center. Thanks for checking out this episode of Healthy with VCU Health. For more information check out their website at www.vcuhealth.org/trauma. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you.
The Value of Our Level I Trauma Center
Prakash Chandran (Host): VCU Health is home to the region’s top Level I trauma center. Dr. Michel Aboutanos, who leads the medical team, shares why he is equally passionate about the clinical care we provide to injured patients as he is about the injury prevention to keep you and your loved ones safe.
This is Healthy with VCU Health. I am Prakash Chandran and today, we are joined by Dr. Michel Aboutanos who is the Chief of Acute Care Surgical Services and the Chief of Trauma at the VCU Level I Trauma Center. Dr. Aboutanos, it is a pleasure to have you here today. So, to start us off, I know that people listening might feel that all emergency care is created equal and they might not have a choice of where they go when something serious happens. I would love to get your take on that and how it relates to the Trauma Center at VCU Health.
Michel Aboutanos, MD, MPH, FACS (Guest): That’s a very important question you asked. There’s definitely a choice of where you need to go and where you should go when you or your loved one is involved in an injury, whether it’s a car crash or it’s a fall or any kind of other injuries you may have. Therefore, you have the choice to say, “I want to be taken to VCU Trauma Center” as an example. And it does make a huge difference of where you go. And this is why VCU Level I Trauma Center is where we think people should really go and where I would send my family. It is because we have the most comprehensive and the most experienced level of trauma care that you could have.
And this is incredibly important. What matters the most in trauma is time. Our ability to be prepared and to get to the patient and deliver the highest level of care at the most experienced hand in order to be able to stop the injury, not have it get worse and not lead to very bad situation or circumstances or outcomes. Therefore, definitely where you go extremely matters with regard to the outcome and how well you will do.
Host: That is very reassuring to hear. I would love to learn a little bit more about what specifically separates the VCU Health Trauma Center from the other emergency care facilities in the area. I’m assuming that it comes down to the team of surgeons and nurses and the experience that they have, is that correct?
Dr. Aboutanos: I think it is a mistake that people only focus on, for example, the physician. It is really the entire system that is built together, the teamwork that we have together and most importantly, the experience we’ve had. We have been doing this for over 30 years where we have learned what works best and some of the toughest cases that would not have survived anywhere else, we have been able to learn from them and have survived in our hands and our experience. I think this is an extremely important aspect. For trauma, you have to have excellent leadership, ability to have a very well organized team, compassionate team. That’s really important. And a team that has done it before has seen it. That is nothing new for us. And this is why I think it’s extremely important to know where someone should go.
I’ll give you an example. One of my patients for example, he was deer hunting and he fell off a deer stand, took hours to get him to us. He had significant number of injuries when he came in; he would not have survived anywhere else. Under our hands, he had 19 operations by the time we were able to save him. And what he received, not only the best surgical care, but also the phenomenal nursing care they have in our Intensive Care Unit. He was there for two months and he walked out of here. He is now one of my favorite patients. He comes back and sees me in the clinic. He got to go back to his family, and he knows, and he tells me often; I would not be here if I didn’t say “I want to go to VCU” as this is where I knew I would get the best of care.
And I could tell you the story about 4000 times. We see about 4300 patients a year that are admitted to trauma and this is the care that we deliver. My father had a head bleed from a fall, and he was in Pennsylvania. I flew him all the way over here for my team, for our team to take care of him, knowing very well this is where he would get the best of care. And I had to stand back because I was now a family member. I had to step back and watch this team that I totally believe in take care of the person that I totally, totally love.
Host: That is incredible and thanks so much for sharing that with us. One of the things that you said that resonated with me was that some people only focus on the physicians at an organization but you really work as this cohesive unit. Everyone has a role to play in bringing a comprehensive level of care that frankly saves lives. So, I’m curious as to what people might do before an accident happens to better prepare themselves like potentially tell someone or write something down that says that they prefer to go to VCU Health when something like this happens.
Dr. Aboutanos: Yeah, because it depends on the type of the injury that you have. Definitely, have your family members also be aware of where you would like to go because that is extremely important. When you are injured, many times, you are under a lot of stress, you do not have all your whereabouts and so having something in your ID, in your wallet that says, “If I’m injured, please take me to VCU.” That makes a big difference. Telling your family members that this is where I would really like to go, this is where I think I would get the best of care, is important so that everybody knows.
The way that the system works is that the prehospital provider takes you to the closest, most appropriate facility. That’s due to their algorithm, the outline of where they need to go. But people don’t know that they have the choice and so if you could communicate, communicate the choice. If you feel you may not be able to be prepared that everybody around you knows, write down that “if I have a trauma, VCU is where to go”. So there would be no ambiguity and not an issue as far as I really did not want to come to this hospital or this other hospital. Right off the bat, if you are prepared, then things will go the right way.
Host: I it seems like there is a lot of education that is offered at VCU Health. I know you have the Center for Trauma and Critical Care education program. So, maybe someone listening to this, can do some pre-incident work to really just be proactive about the type of care they are going to receive and like you said, update that medical card. Can you maybe talk a little bit about the CTCCE?
Dr. Aboutanos: Sure. Our Center for Trauma Critical Care Education has also been around for over 30 years. It goes back to the whole concept of teamwork. So, over 30 years ago; we realized that in order for you to get the best of care in the hospital, you should get the best of care on the street as well. And we take our commitment to the community very seriously. We went to the General Assembly where we were able to have the Center created where we could educate all the prehospital providers - paramedics, the EMTs, the firefighters - to train them so they could deliver the best of care on the streets and we take this education very, very seriously.
And so we educate close to 5000 students per year. Students, by that I mean anybody who attends our classes. So, it is a significant commitment. We train almost one-half of all the prehospital providers in the entire Commonwealth. And this is a huge service that also speaks volumes of how we are committed to have a community approach, not only a hospital approach. We train all our providers to take care of you, to know what you need on the streets, in your home, wherever, whether you had a car crash or if you have fallen or you are injured in any other way. We put our license on the line when we train them, and they operate under our license. We take that seriously.
It’s a comprehensive approach like the one I talked about before. We know they get the best of care in the streets and the ambulances when they get to us, and we continue that best of care here in our hospital.
Host: That really is a fantastic approach. One of the next things I wanted to ask you about was recovery and how it relates to the team that you work with, specifically around how going to a trauma center like the one at VCU Health can help speed in the recovery process and get people back to a normal lifestyle faster.
Dr. Aboutanos: That is our number one objective. The minute the patient gets in with us, the first thing we are looking at is how we can send them back to their family in a functional and a safe place. We know that is our objective from the beginning. So, because we have a comprehensive approach and a multidisciplinary team, we have people who are involved whether it is physical therapy, occupational therapy, or rehab, already involved right from the beginning in the care of the patient. Therefore, everything matters.
So, the fact that even though we have the most experienced surgeons and nurses and pharmacists and nutritionists etc., as a team working very hard to get you better at the same time, we are working the social aspects of what can get you functionally better into the community. It is that comprehensive, holistic way of looking at the trauma patient. We don’t just focus on the injury. We focus literally on the patient. We focus on you and when you are injured, where you live, what kind of structure you would need in order for us to help you get back to the people that love you the most and that care for you.
Host: It really does seem like that comprehensive level of care and holistic approach that you take with your team is so incredibly important. And, hearing you today, the one thing that I’ve learned is that not all Level I trauma centers are created equal. It is important to learn the capabilities of care in the hospitals in your area. After talking with you Dr. Aboutanos, I am definitely convinced that VCU Health is the place to go. So, thank you so much for your time. That is Dr. Michel Aboutanos, the Chief of Acute Care Surgical Services and the Chief of Trauma at the VCU Level I Trauma Center. Thanks for checking out this episode of Healthy with VCU Health. For more information check out their website at www.vcuhealth.org/trauma. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out the entire podcast library for topics of interest to you.