Healthy Life
Trauma is its own medical discipline, requiring specialist expertise – and Mediclinic is proud to offer a state-of-the-art, accredited Trauma Level 2 hospital of excellence.
What is trauma?
Close your eyes and imagine being in a car accident. An event like this is traumatic in different ways, having the potential to cause injury internally, externally and all over the body, while overwhelming all emotional response mechanisms. In that scenario you need immediate care from specialists trained in administering a wide variety of complex emergency medical interventions, in an environment geared to provide a multidisciplinary approach to emergency care.
A trauma centre is a dedicated facility. What does this mean?
Emergency Centres are equipped and ready to provide lifesaving interventions, but trauma centres take that care further by providing sub-specialty personnel, infrastructure and medical equipment. Spaces like these are designed to care for patients who have been severely injured, usually to the extent that multiple organ systems are affected. They’re equipped with the necessary expertise to provide the best, most appropriate possible care.
These centres are accredited by the Trauma Society of South Africa. The Trauma Society of South Africa attempts to fulfil the aims of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration on Emergency Care for the injured in South Africa and provide the standards for accreditation of Trauma Units according to the nationally agreed criteria. These standardised criteria give hospitals the opportunity to align their staff and facilities with international best practices. Four levels are currently recognised, with Level 4 centres only required to provide basic trauma life support before patients are transferred for definitive care. Level 1 centres are state-of-the-art trauma services.
Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg is an accredited Trauma Level 2 hospital of excellence. These Emergency Centres are capable of providing initial definitive trauma care regardless of the severity of injury. They also provide 24-hour medical services, including those of several common specialties. Both centres offer a complete subset of specialised surgical and radiological services that are on site and available immediately.
Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg is managed by a team of emergency medicine specialists. Dr Daniel Fiandeiro is a specialist in emergency medicine who understands the value of fast, efficient treatment. “The faster we move, the more we can do – and Mediclinic is committed to doing as much as we can.”
Mediclinic Bloemfontein is headed up by an an expert in paediatric trauma care. Dr Michelle Myburgh, who has a master’s degree in the subject, manages a team of four permanent doctors and 17 staff in total. “The majority of the cases we see are children with lacerations, broken bones, sometimes choking,” she says. “Even a small injury could take a long-lasting emotional toll if it’s not treated with sensitivity. So our approach must be tailored to the child’s experience: we must make them feel safe, cared for and relaxed. To create the right conditions to treat kids properly, first we need a calm patient who is informed and comfortable.”
Trauma patients can expect a seamless treatment journey. Patients who need emergency trauma care are triaged and stabilised at the Emergency Centre before they are transferred to the first available operating theatre if surgical intervention is required. There, a team led by a trauma surgeon or general surgeon with trauma experience is on standby to perform life-saving surgery, and patients are further managed through the post-operative recovery period in an intensive care unit, where they can benefit from easy access to support services from a multidisciplinary team of medical and allied health professionals.