Sejong Yeoju Hospital in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, has been newly designated as a Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospital.
On June 12, Gyeonggi Province announced that on June 1, it had designated Sejong Yeoju Hospital in Yeoju as a "Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospital," which serves as a key facility for providing emergency care prior to transfer to a regional trauma center, thereby increasing patient survival rates.
In principle, severe trauma patients are to be transported directly to regional trauma centers such as Ajou University Hospital and Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital. However, if transport takes more than 30 minutes, the patient's life may be at risk. In such cases, the Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospital first provides emergency care, such as airway management, before transferring the patient to a regional trauma center, thereby serving as a crucial hub for improving survival rates.
Gyeonggi Province established the Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospital system in 2021, the first of its kind in the country. Starting with Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Icheon Hospital and Paju Hospital in December 2021, the province designated Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Pocheon Hospital and Anseong Hospital, Yeoncheon-gun Health Medical Center, Hwaseong Dieseo Hospital, Hwaseong Jungang General Hospital, and Yangpyeong Hospital as Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospitals in 2023. Sejong Yeoju Hospital has now become the ninth cooperation hospital.
This hospital plays a decisive role in bridging the time gap between the location of trauma incidents and regional trauma centers, and is a key facility for securing the "golden hour" for severe trauma patients.
In fact, on June 3, the regional trauma cooperation system operated in real-time and saved a patient's life following a traffic accident in Geumchon-dong, Paju. In the accident, a truck fell 4 meters and overturned, leaving the driver with facial injuries and at high risk of airway obstruction due to heavy oral bleeding. The 119 emergency rescue team, upon arrival, immediately assessed the case as severe trauma, requested a helicopter, and decided to route the patient through a Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospital. The patient arrived at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Paju Hospital, where airway management was promptly performed, and was then transferred to a regional trauma center by helicopter accompanied by a trauma specialist. All necessary interventions were completed within the golden hour, and the patient recovered and was discharged two days later.
On September 4 last year, a patient who suffered a severe open head injury and hypotension in a traffic accident in Yangpyeong received airway management and medication at Yangpyeong Hospital before being transferred by helicopter to a regional trauma center. Immediate surgery was performed at the trauma center, and the patient recovered and was discharged 10 days later.
Yoo Youngcheol, Director of Health and Wellness at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospital is a trauma response system established solely by Gyeonggi Province and serves as the frontline for protecting residents' lives. We will continue to maintain and expand this precise system, which operates in real-time in the event of trauma cases."
Gyeonggi Province plans to designate additional Regional Trauma Cooperation Hospitals in Gwangju and Pyeongtaek in the future.
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