Vancouver General Hospital Trauma Services
Vancouver General Hospital's (VGH) Trauma Centre is a leading accredited Adult Level 1 Trauma Centre in British Columbia, Canada, and is the quaternary referral centre for trauma patients in the province.
Providing the highest level of around-the-clock care for injured patients, from resuscitation through rehabilitation.
The VGH Trauma Centre is a leader in providing exceptional, integrated trauma care, innovation and education. We are committed to supporting healthy lives throughout British Columbia by preventing and reducing the impact of injury. Emergency physicians, surgeons, surgical specialists, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other professionals are always in-house and available to provide immediate care.
We stand in a leadership and central role to serving patients and health professionals across the province
- Leadership role in the provincial trauma system as the Designated Adult Provincial Trauma Centre for B.C.
- Central role in the regional trauma system as the Designated Regional Trauma Center for Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)
- Leadership role in academic programming, trauma training and research in affiliation with the University of British Columbia (UBC).
- Leadership role in injury prevention programs, fellowship teaching, community outreach, education, quality improvement initiatives, clinical practice guideline development, and trauma system planning.
Education and resources for health-care professionals across the province
As the quaternary referral centre for the province, VGH provides province-wide education to health-care professionals caring for patients along the trauma continuum of care. Our partnership with Canadian Forces Trauma Training Centre West (CFTTC(W)) provides opportunities to train various military personnel in the care of the injured patient.
Courses are open to health professionals working across Canada. Specialized certification programs, such as Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Definitive Surgical Trauma Care (DSTC) are offered on an ongoing basis at VGH. Several continuing education courses are also offered, including an annual Trauma Symposium, focusing on all aspects of trauma care.
Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Fellowship Program
The University of British Columbia (UBC) offers a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons accredited one-year clinical fellowship in Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. This is offered at Vancouver General Hospital, British Columbia's provincial Level 1 Trauma Centre. The fellowship is designed to prepare general surgeons for imaginative and dynamic careers dedicated to caring for patients with acutely life-threatening surgical conditions.
Research
The Trauma and Acute Care Research Program at VGH is leading the way in studying acutely ill and injured patients in British Columbia. Our multidisciplinary team is made up of specialists from critical care medicine, nursing, injury prevention, epidemiology, and health systems design. Our primary areas of research include improving care for patients with multiple or complex social needs, surgical care delivery in rural and remote areas and low-income countries, trauma system design and injury prevention, prevention of venous thromboembolism and the development and evaluation of risk stratification tools for major hemorrhage. Here is a snapshot of some of the studies we currently have underway thanks to the generous support of the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation:
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The CAN-BLEED score: A novel tool for risk stratification of traumatic hemorrhage.
Research Team: Dr. Naisan Garraway, Dr. Chantalle Grant, Dr. Philip Dawe, Dr. Leah Rosenkrantz, Dr. Christian Vaillancourt and Dr. Alex Tran
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Novel low molecular weight heparin dosing strategy for prevention of venous thromboembolism following traumatic injury: A pilot Randomized Trial.
Research Team: Dr. Emilie Joos, Dr. Philip Dawe, Dr. Leah Rosenkrantz, Dr. Mypinder Sekhon, Dr. Marc Carrier, and Dr. Alex Tran
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Breaking the injury cycle: Understanding the impact of the social determinants of health on trauma care and injury recidivism.
Research Team: Joanne Sadler, Dr. Michael Schwandt, Dr. Philip Dawe, Dr. Rebecca Afford, Dr. Leah Rosenkrantz, Kabeer Poonia