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Concept
R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center
Summary
R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center (also referred to simply as Shock Trauma) is a free-standing trauma hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and is part of the University of Maryland Medical Center. It was the first facility in the world to treat shock. Shock Trauma was founded by R Adams Cowley, considered the father and major innovator of trauma medicine.
While serving in the United States Army in France immediately following World War II, Cowley observed that many severe traumatic injuries could be stabilized if the patient could be transported to a military hospital where a surgeon was present within one hour of the initial injury. Cowley coined the term "golden hour" to describe this crucial period of time. Cowley thus lobbied the legislature in Maryland to purchase helicopters for the transport of trauma patients to expedite their arrival to these higher-care facilities. The Maryland legislature initially denied his request, due to the cost of helicopters, but he was subsequently able to persuade the State of Maryland to purchase helicopters by agreeing to the premise they be shared with the Maryland State Police. Today, almost all major trauma centers in the United States utilize helicopters to transport trauma patients to the hospital.
During the establishment of trauma centers in the early 1970s, Cowley fought with the medical community to change the prevailing policy of first responders taking all patients, including traumas, to the "nearest hospital first." According to Cowley, the major flaw to this system was that the nearest hospital was most likely not capable of treating severe trauma.
In 1975, Dutch Ruppersberger, a young prosecutor and current member of Congress was involved in a nearly fatal automobile accident and had his life saved largely in part to being transported directly to University of Maryland's Shock Trauma Center. When Ruppersberger asked Cowley what he could do to repay him for saving his life, Cowley responded, "Run for office so you can help us get the resources we need to continue saving lives.
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