Trauma Surgery Program

After an unexpected fall or accident (a traumatic injury), you or a loved one may need prompt and possibly life-saving treatment. Our team of emergency doctors and trauma-trained surgeons can identify what you need most—and quickly develop a plan of care for nearly all types of traumatic injuries.

At Overlake’s Level III trauma center, we treat all types of serious injuries that can happen as a result of sports, motor vehicle accidents, falls or violence.

Our robust team of experts know how to quickly evaluate what treatment and care you or a loved one needs—and in what order. That care may start with reviving (resuscitating) and closely monitoring your vital signs like your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate and temperature. It also involves our radiology team that does testing to help identify the full extent of your injuries and how much blood you may have lost. This full evaluation helps us decide on whether or not you need surgery—and how soon.

At Overlake, our trauma-trained surgeons can quickly perform procedures to save a life and repair injuries if needed. And, if you or a loved one needs surgery to repair broken bones, you’ll be in the care of our dedicated orthopedic traumatologists (doctors that repair difficult or complex bone fractures) on our renowned orthopedic trauma team.

Conditions We Treat With Trauma Surgery

Our team of trauma specialists will prioritize treating your injuries, starting with the most serious ones. For example, treating bleeding, infection or internal organ damage often take priority over treating broken bones.

The types of treatments you or a loved one may need depends on the severity of your traumatic injury.

Some of the more common trauma-related conditions we treat include:

• Internal bleeding.
• Internal organ damage.
• Infections related to trauma or organ damage (including sepsis, cellulitis and pneumonia).
• All types of fractures including arm, leg, hip, pelvis, neck and back fractures.
• Nerve damage caused by bone fractures.
• Open fractures (a broken bone that causes an open wound or break in the skin).
• Ligament tears and tendon tears, often after a sports injury.
• Joint dislocations.

The timing of your surgery will depend on how severe your injury is. Some patients will have surgery right away, while others will rest at home for a few days and then have surgery.

Trauma Surgery Treatments And Services

To help assess the timely treatment you need, we may do several tests, including:

• Ultrasound (including FAST, abdominal, chest or pelvic ultrasound)
• Neurological exam
• X-rays (including abdominal, chest, and x-ray of the extremities)
• CT scans (including a CT scan of the chest or a CT scan of the abdomen)
• MRI
• Electrocardiogram
• Lab tests (including CBC and prothrombin time)

Care Throughout Your Entire Recovery

After you have any necessary tests, procedures or surgeries, you or your loved one will be cared for by our exceptional team of nurses. Overlake patients often talk about the compassionate, warm and consistent care of our nurses.

When your entire trauma team determines that you’re well enough to leave the hospital, we make sure you have all the support you need to transition to taking care of yourself—either at home or at a rehab or skilled nursing facility. Our goal is not just to be by your side during the surgical care you need but also during your entire recovery, however long that may be.

We work with a team of recovery specialists to make sure your care continues until you are fully healed. Your care may include:

• Physical therapy.
• Speech therapy.
• Occupational therapy.
• Own the Bone, a program to help prevent future fractures.
• Dedicated and comprehensive services and resources for seniors
• Respiratory therapy.
• Chaplain Services.
• Social work.

A Level III Trauma Center, Closer To Home On The Eastside

As a Level III trauma center, we have the expertise and staffing capacity to handle nearly all types of injuries, right here on the Eastside. We see everything from seniors who’ve fallen at home to teens who’ve been in a major car crash. Each year, we treat over 1200 trauma patients—and it’s rare that we need to transfer patients to another trauma center for more specialized care.

Renowned Neurosurgery Trauma Care

We’re also known for our neurosurgical trauma care, treating many patients referred to us from regional hospitals. Any patient with a traumatic head bleed receives a consultation with one of our experienced neurosurgeons. And we regularly treat all types of brain and spinal cord injuries, including spinal column fractures that may require surgery performed in partnership with our expert orthopedic surgeons.

Renowned Orthopedic Trauma Care

Other hospitals in Western Washington send their orthopedic trauma patients to us because of our well-known, well-trained team of orthopedic surgeons. From a broken arm to hip and pelvic fractures and open fractures, our team sees over 500 orthopedic trauma patients a year. If you or a loved one need orthopedic trauma surgery, you can rest assured you’ll be in expert hands.