There's an interesting Huffington Post piece today on U.S. trauma centers, one of which garnered much attention following the shooting in Tucson, Ariz. eleven days ago. Emergency physician Leigh Vinocur, MD, explains the different types of trauma centers and the financial threats facing such centers, and she argues that what happened in Arizona was the "perfect illustration" of how our emergency medical system works:
Hearing about the precision of how the care was executed for these victims in Arizona seems extraordinary. However, in actuality it is very ordinary, in the sense that everyday this type of coordinated care is going on in emergency trauma centers around the country by extraordinary doctors and nurses and other health care professionals who work with them.
(And if you haven't done so yet, I highly recommend reading the New York Times' detailed account of how the shooting victims were cared for by emergency personnel and trauma surgeons. It's an amazing and awe-inspiring story.)
