Trauma Care

Comprehensive Care for Serious and Life-Threatening Injuries

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport is North Louisiana’s premier Trauma Center providing care for pediatric and adult patients. Serving Louisiana, East Texas, South Arkansas, West Mississippi, and Southeast Oklahoma, we offer some of the most advanced medical and surgical care available. From the time patients enter our Trauma Center, they are cared for by physician and nursing experts who specialize in the assessment and treatment of critically ill and injured patients.

Trauma surgeons and emergency and intensive care physicians are available 24/7, 365 days a year. There is always an emergency bay, operating room and intensive care bed available for persons who need it.

Supported by a team of medical and surgical specialists, we are committed to providing the best trauma care available – regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. In addition to providing trauma and emergency care, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport is involved in education and research activities. Trauma physicians work in collaboration with medical students, residents, and allied health personnel to ensure quality care is provided.

Level I Status in Shreveport

We are the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, verified by the American College of Surgeons. As a Level I Trauma Center, we have all the resources needed to stabilize and treat the most complex traumatic injuries. We treat patients who need advanced care for critical injuries and illnesses. We provide total care for every aspect of injury - from prevention through rehabilitation.

We also educate the public regarding injury prevention. We work extensively with the region’s first responders, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and outside referring hospitals, to ensure that they have the information and skills necessary to save lives.

Our outreach through various community groups ensures that teachers and families are aware of educational opportunities to enhance the safety of our community for people young and old.

We work closely with the Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN) in care coordination of patients with serious traumatic injury or time sensitive illness to get them to the right place at the right time to receive the most appropriate care. Together, we will make the communities of North Louisiana a safer place to work and live.

Level III Trauma Program in Monroe

The Louisiana Emergency Response Network (LERN) has designated Ochsner LSU Health - Monroe Medical Center a Level III Trauma Program, joining only nine other hospitals in Louisiana with the certified trauma program designation. The voluntary program ensures that hospitals have and best utilize trauma resources for optimal trauma patient care.

To receive the designation of a Level III Trauma Program, hospitals must have the following components:

• Emergency physicians must be available 24 hours and have prompt availability of general surgeons and anesthesiologists;
• Implementation of a comprehensive quality assessment program;
• Transfer agreements for patients needing more critical care to Level II or Level I Trauma Centers;
• Standby care for rural and community hospitals;
• Continued education for the nursing, allied health, and trauma teams; and
• Prevention education and outreach programs for referring communities.

When to Go to the Trauma Center

Seconds or minutes can make the difference when it comes to serious, life-threatening medical conditions. Call 911 right away or get to the nearest emergency room if you or a loved one has any of the following traumatic injuries:

• Blunt-force trauma to the body or head
• Brain injuries
• Gunshot wounds
• Serious burns
• Serious falls
• Serious injuries from a car accident
• Stab wounds

In addition to our trauma surgeons and specialists, we bring together a diverse team of experts from many medical specialties to provide the care you or your loved one needs after a traumatic injury. These specialties include:

• Neurosurgery
• Orthopedics
• Plastic surgery

Caring for Our Community

We provide the best trauma care available regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. In addition, we are involved with research activities to pioneer tomorrow’s advances in trauma medicine.

We work closely with our region’s first responders, police officers, paramedics and outside referring hospitals to make sure they have the information and skills needed to save lives and get patients to our center for the care they need. We coordinate with LERN when patients have serious injuries or time-sensitive illnesses to make sure they get the help they need quickly. We also work with members of our community to provide education on how to avoid or reduce the risk of traumatic injuries.