Ī trauma center may have a helipad for receiving patients that have been airlifted to the hospital. As there is no way to schedule the need for emergency services, patient traffic at trauma centers can vary widely. The operation of a trauma center is often expensive and some areas may be underserved by trauma centers because of that expense. Lower levels of trauma centers may be able to provide only initial care and stabilization of a traumatic injury and arrange for transfer of the patient to a higher level of trauma care. The highest levels of trauma centers have access to specialist medical and nursing care, including emergency medicine, trauma surgery, critical care, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, anesthesiology, and radiology, as well as a wide variety of highly specialized and sophisticated surgical and diagnostic equipment. Trauma centers vary in their specific capabilities and are identified by 'Level' designation: Level I (Level-1) being the highest and Level III (Level-3) being the lowest (some states have five designated levels, in which case Level V (Level-5) is the lowest). Official designation as a trauma center is determined by individual state law provisions.

In the United States, a hospital can receive trauma center status by meeting specific criteria established by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and passing a site review by the Verification Review Committee. A trauma center may also refer to an emergency department (also known as a 'casualty department' or 'accident and emergency') without the presence of specialized services to care for victims of major trauma. Typical trauma room at Level I Trauma CenterĪ trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds.

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