Adult Level I Trauma Center

Patient Care

Caring for you or your loved one is our top priority.  Traumas are unexpected and challenging.  Our team will take the time to explain each step in the treatment process and answer any questions in a complete and easy to understand way.

After surgery, or once the extent of the patient’s injuries has been determined, he/she is admitted to the hospital. Depending on the severity and type of injury and the patient’s age, St. Luke’s has beds to accommodate all levels of care including critical care, acute care, step-down and pediatrics.

Following the patient’s hospital stay, he/she can be discharged to:

• Home
• An inpatient rehabilitation facility, where he/she can receive long-term care for severe conditions such as coma or a spinal cord injury

The trauma patient’s follow-up care will be coordinated by the trauma surgeon and a trauma advanced practitioner who cared for the patient in the hospital and will include the patient’s family doctor and specialists when appropriate.  If trauma follow-up care is needed, it will be conducted in our outpatient office.

Team Activation

Upon arrival at St. Luke’s Adult Level I Trauma Center, the patient is rushed to state-of-the-art trauma resuscitation bays located within the Emergency Department (ED). There, the patient is immediately evaluated by the trauma team which consists of fellowship-trained trauma surgeons and nurses with advanced education and training in the treatment of traumatic injuries. The trauma team assesses the patient for both known and suspected life- and limb-threatening injuries. If no serious injuries are found, the patient may be discharged to home. However, most patients will be admitted to the hospital or transferred to the Operating Room following a comprehensive evaluation.

Team

Our trauma team consists of providers from a range of specialties including orthopedics, neurosurgery and trauma surgeons.  Learn more about our Clinical Trauma Team.

St. Luke’s Trauma Center and Emergency Department work in partnership with our region's emergency medical services, our first line of defense against injury and disease. It is vitally important to quality patient care that we work together for the safety of the community.

When Emergency Medical Services (EMS) respond to an emergency, it is their responsibility to evaluate the situation and if the potential for life- or limb-threatening injury exists, stabilize the patient and then transport him/her to the nearest accredited trauma center.

If the trauma team’s evaluation reveals a life- or limb-threatening injury, the patient is immediately transferred to a specially equipped and staffed Operating Room where necessary surgery can be performed. If the trauma team’s evaluation does not reveal a life- or limb-threatening injury, the patient is transferred to Radiology where additional diagnostic procedures such as X-rays or CT scans are performed. At this point, the patient can either be admitted to St. Luke’s Hospital for further care or discharged if doctors determine that he/she has sustained no serious injuries.

If the trauma patient requires a hospital stay to gradually recover his/her health and strength, he/she will be evaluated and treated by numerous rehabilitation and support services, including:

• Case Management
• Nutrition Services
• Occupational Therapy
• Pastoral Care
• Physical Therapy
• Respiratory Therapy
• Speech Therapy

Post-Discharge Care

Most trauma patients require outpatient follow-up visits with their primary care physician as well as one or more specialists.  Below are links to the most common specialty offices.  If you have any questions regarding your follow-up care, please call our outpatient office at 484-526-2200.

• Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery
• Orthopedics
• Neurosurgery
  

Injury Prevention

St. Luke’s University Hospital -Trauma provides many injury prevention programs and resources to our community:

Safely Seated Car Seat/Booster Seat Program
This is a pediatric motor vehicle safety program in collaboration with Care Management. This program provides car seats and/or booster seats to families in need. Families are screened through Care Management, and car/booster seat vouchers are provided. The vouchers are then redeemed at BuyBuy Baby for a car seat or booster seat provided through St. Luke’s Trauma.

Car Seat Clinics
St. Luke’s Trauma collaborates with the St. Luke’s Prenatal Education Program to provide car seat clinics to our community. Certified car seat technicians inspect car seats to ensure that they are properly installed and provide education when needed.

Bike Helmet Program
This is an adult and pediatric program in which St. Luke’s Trauma provides bike helmets to patients in need. St. Luke’s Trauma also provides helmets for community events.

ThinkFirst
ThinkFirst is a pediatric brain and spinal cord injury prevention program aimed at preschoolers through 12th grade. This is a one-time lecture to students that focuses on varying topics depending upon age – playground safety, bike safety, sports safety, concussion prevention.

Every 15 Minutes/SADD
St. Luke’s Trauma participates in this alcohol and risk-taking awareness program each year at local high schools during prom season. A “mock” motor vehicle crash and funeral are presented to high schoolers to educate them on the consequences of poor-decision making.

Impact Teen Drivers
This is a distracted driving awareness program. St. Luke’s Trauma provides a one-time lecture to students in high school/middle school regarding the consequences of texting and distracted driving.

A Matter of Balance
St. Luke’s Trauma provides this fall prevention program to older adults in our community. A Matter of Balance is an 8-session course aimed at reducing the fear of falling and thereby increasing activity levels in the older adult population.

Stop the Bleed
Stop the Bleed is a national program for emergency preparedness. The public is trained on effective bleeding control techniques in the face of life-threatening external hemorrhaging – i.e. how to use a tourniquet and how to pack a wound. St. Luke’s Trauma provides Stop the Bleed training within our 13-county service area.

Trauma Injury Prevention Materials
Through the American Trauma Society-PA, St. Luke’s Trauma provides injury prevention materials and resources to our St. Luke’s patients and to our local communities.

View our Injury Prevention Tip Sheet »

For more information on any of these programs or for injury prevention materials, please contact Andrea Nesfede, MPH, Trauma Outreach Coordinator at Andrea.Nesfeder@sluhn.org or 484-526-3341

Education

The Trauma Center at St. Luke’s University Hospital is committed to educating health care providers in the fields of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care.

St. Luke’s Adult Level I Trauma Center and its faculty strive to educate a broad range of health care providers including pre-hospital providers, students, nurses, advanced practitioners, residents and physicians.

In addition to providing continuing education to those within the health care field, St. Luke’s University Hospital provides community education classes and events on various safety and injury prevention topics. These programs are free, and appeal to a broad audience. Topics include bike and helmet safety, drug and alcohol use, seatbelt safety and fall prevention.

Education Team

• Peter Thomas, DO, FACOS
  Director of Trauma
  ATLS Student Course Director
  Pre-Hospital Life Support Medical Director
  
  
• Nicole Lohrman, MSN, RN, CCRN, TCRN
  Trauma Education Coordinator
  ATLS Course Coordinator
  St. Luke’s University Hospital
  Trauma Division
  801 Ostrum Street
  Bethlehem, PA 18015
  484-526-2214
  Nicole.Lohrman@sluhn.org

See the following pages for more information:

• Community Courses
• Professional Education

Events

17th Annual Night of Heroes
Saturday, September 21, 2024
6 pm

Artsquest Center
101 Founders Way
Bethlehem, PA

Tickets available now