The Cook County Trauma and Burn Surgery Department is composed of the trauma center, the burn center and the physical medicine and rehabilitation center. The centers treat both pediatric and adult trauma and burn injuries. The department houses one of the first comprehensive trauma centers in the world and has a long history spanning back to the 1960s. The Cook County Burn Center is one of only three verified burn centers in Illinois. In the past year, the Cook County Trauma and Burn centers treated more than 7000 patients. Approximately 400 patients are admitted to the Burn Unit each year. The Trauma Center exceeds the national average in the volume of patients with penetrating trauma that we treat. In addition to thermal, chemical and electrical burns, the Cook County Burn Unit treats conditions such as toxic epidermal necrolysis and complicated soft tissue infections.
The Department of Trauma and Burn Surgery has seven full-time attending trauma/burn surgeons, three physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, 40 critical care nurses, and 40 physical/occupational therapists and speech pathologists. Trauma registry and quality functions are carried out by a surveillance team consisting of abstractors who are supervised by a nurse epidemiologist. The trauma department has a well developed hospital based violence intervention program led by trauma intervention specialists. The department has a robust research and education program led by two doctoral level researchers and a masters level associate. Several active research projects span prevention, prehospital care, surgical care and rehabilitation.
Cook County Trauma frequently gains national attention and acclaim due to its comprehensive approach to traumatology and also the high volume of patients it treats. In summer 2013, the Cook County Trauma/Burn Unit was featured nationally on the National Geographic Channel, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and ABC’s Nightline. In 2014, the trauma department was featured on CNN’s Chicagoland.
- CNN's Chicagoland
- National Geographic Special: Chicago Trauma
- CNN's Anderson Cooper 360
- ABC's Nightline
For even more details on Cook County Trauma/Burn, please refer to the this website, which includes a short preview of the National Geographic special Chicago Trauma.