UChicago Trauma Center Treats 44 Over Memorial Day Weekend

CHICAGO, IL — The new University of Chicago Medicine trauma center treated 44 patients over the three-day Memorial Day weekend, according to a news release from the hospital. That's an average of nearly 15 a day, a sharp increase from their normal workload seen in the first four weeks of its opening.

Since UChicago Medicine opened the first Level 1 trauma center on the South Side of Chicago in 27 years on May 1, 274 patients were cared for as of May 30. Averaging nine per day, most patients (62 percent) over the first four weeks of operation suffered from blunt-force trauma injuries such as car crashes, motorcycle accidents and serious falls. The other 38 percent treated suffered from penetrating injuries.

The University of Chicago Medicine’s Comer Children’s Hospital treated 32 patients from May 1-29.

“The tremendous experience, teamwork and dedication of our multidisciplinary care teams — spanning trauma, radiology, anesthesia, orthopaedic surgery, nursing and emergency medicine — has delivered a level of care that is a source of pride for all at UChicago Medicine,” said Kenneth Polonsky, dean and executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago.

RELATED: Chicago's South Side Has Its First Trauma Center In 27 Years

Photo courtesy of University of Chicago Medicine