Some emergencies require advanced specialty care. Traumatic physical injury from blunt, sharp or penetrating forces outside the body may result in wounds, broken bones or internal organ damage. We are fortunate in eastern North Carolina to have access to a Level I Adult Trauma Center and a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville. This means you will receive the highest level of trauma care available from a multidisciplinary team of trauma specialists. Just like the emergency teams, the trauma team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to handle all aspects of a life-threatening or life-changing traumatic injury. VMC earned its designation as an adult trauma center in 1983, which the American College of Surgeons verified in 2005.

After a traumatic injury or life-threatening illness or condition, most patients are placed in a critical care or intensive care unit until well enough to be moved to a step-down unit. Critically ill patients require the highest level of monitoring and the most advanced medical equipment. Most ECU Health hospitals have intensive care units (ICUs), and ECU Health Medical Center also has a dedicated surgical intensive care unit (SICU), neurosurgical intensive care unit and a trauma ICU.

The surgical critical care physician team includes board-certified surgical intensivists, mid-level residents and interns, and a critical care fellow. The team is dedicated to ensuring timely referrals and consultations for all high-risk surgical trauma patients. They oversee all admissions to the SICU, and a board-certified surgeon is available around the clock.