Pediatric Trauma Surgery
Expert Care When Seconds Count
The Dan Dierdorf Emergency and Trauma Center at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital is the longest standing Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in Missouri. Our trauma team is ready to care for the most severely injured children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Because time is critical in an emergency, our services are designed to ensure your child gets the urgent care he or she needs, as quickly as possible.
What is a Level I Trauma Center?
As a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, designated by both Missouri and Illinois, we provide the highest level of care for critically injured patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This designation means that we have committed to providing quality, comprehensive care to our injured patients. From the moment you enter our doors, you can be sure our team is utilizing every available hospital resource to provide your child the best possible care.
What is a Traumatic Injury?
The most common causes of traumatic injuries in children include motor vehicle accidents, drowning, burns, falls, and sports-related injuries. The types of injuries we often treat include:
- Chest injuries, including injuries to the chest wall, airways, heart and blood vessels
- Bone injuries, such as breaks, fractures and sprains
- Spinal cord injuries
- Minor burns
- Head and neck injuries, including concussion or brain hemorrhage
- Abdominal injuries to the stomach, bowels, spleen or other internal organs
These injuries can be complex and require specialized, multidisciplinary care. As a result, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital offers round-the-clock coverage by board-certified pediatric specialists to ensure our trauma patients get the care they need.
Services We Provide
To ensure we can rapidly identify and treat life-threatening conditions, we offer:
- Pediatric emergency medicine physicians staffing the Emergency Department
- Pediatric trauma surgeons, medical specialists and subspecialists always available.
- Full-time availability of pediatric specialists, including neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and specially trained trauma nurses.
- Four trauma bays and resuscitation rooms, an operating room dedicated to trauma cases, and a ground level helipad.
- Anesthesia services, intensive care units (ICUs), CT scans and other imaging facilities available for trauma patients at all times
Education and Research
At Cardinal Glennon, our love for kids keeps on growing. That’s why our trauma team also works hard to prevent injuries from happening in the first place through our Injury Prevention Program. We also offer educational opportunities to healthcare providers in nearby communities with our EMS Outreach team and actively participate in trauma research to ensure children continue have access to the most advanced trauma care.
Contact the Trauma Program
For more information about the pediatric trauma program and to contact our trauma program team, email cardinalglennontrauma@ssmhealth.com.