Trauma Program

Traumatic Injury in Children

An adventurous toddler falls from a dangerous height. A preschool girl darts in front of a speeding car. A teenage boy crashes his all-terrain vehicle in a ditch. The severe injuries that can result from these events are among those treated by Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, the only Pediatric Level II Trauma Center in Delaware.

Injury is the number one cause of death in children, taking the lives of more than 20,000 children each year - more than heart disease, infections and cancer combined. The most common causes of traumatic injury in children are falls and motor vehicle crashes. The number of trauma cases treated by Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children increased from 765 in 2008 to 840 in 2009, a 10 percent increase.

Caring for Children with Serious Injuries

When a child arrives by ambulance, helicopter or car - or is transferred from one of nearly fifty cooperating hospitals in Delaware and surrounding states - the trauma team springs into action. All patients are immediately assessed by checking airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and looking for obvious injuries. All the resources of the Hospital must be available for successful treatment of a pediatric trauma patient - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What does it mean to be a Pediatric Level II Trauma Center?

1. A rapid response from an in-house trauma team of nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and technicians
2. In-house operating room and anesthesia personnel
3. Prompt neurosurgery and orthopedic response
4. Rapid access to CT and MRI
5. Pediatric critical care service and Intensive Care Unit
6. Availability of other surgical specialties and ancillary services

Preventing Injuries to Children

Our Injury Prevention Program stresses prevention in child passenger, bicycle, home and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety. The program sponsors special activities for children such as bicycle rodeos and has printed materials about all types of safety available for parents and caregivers.

In child passenger safety seat checks, our trained technicians find that fewer than one-third of car seats are correctly installed. In 2009, 407 child passenger safety seat checks were conducted, with our technicians correctly installing the seats or making adjustments. Car seats, bicycle helmets and other safety items are provided to families who do not have them. The program is partially underwritten by the Kohl’s Cares for Kids^® program. Since the start of the program, more than 1,000 car seats have been checked to ensure the safety of children using them.

The Nemours Safety Store, located in the main lobby of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, offers a wealth of affordable items such as car seats, bicycle helmets and other protective devices to help parents keep their children safe from harm. Nearly 1,200 customers purchased items at the Safety Store in 2009.