Updated: April 18, 2000 - 4 PM

Trauma Centers Cut Car Crash Deaths   

LINDSEY TANNER - AP Medical Writer 
CHICAGO (AP) -- Trauma center networks can save the lives of car-crash victims, but only after being in place for at least 10 years, which is how long it takes to work out the kinks in the system, researchers say. 
Trauma center systems are designed to give people with serious injuries quick access to hospitals with specialized teams of doctors. An accident victim in an area with a trauma system would be taken to the closest trauma center -- which would not always be the closest hospital. 
In a study in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers looked at 22 states that set up or had existing trauma center systems from 1979 through 1995. 
Although car-crash deaths fell nationwide throughout the period, the death rate after 15 years was 8 percent lower in states with trauma center systems, the researchers reported. 
There appeared to be no reduction in crash deaths within the first 10 years of trauma system implementation. Declines were noted after 10 years and became statistically significant at 13 years, said the researchers, led by Dr. Avery B. Nathens of the University of Washington's Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. 
``Over time, trauma center protocols mature, triage policies are implemented, referral patterns and transfer policies change, and ultimately patient outcome improves,�� they wrote. 
About 44 states have some sort of trauma system in place, said Harry Teter, executive director of the American Trauma Society, a group of trauma centers and health-care professionals. While the 10 years noted in the study might seem lengthy, it takes a long time to develop an efficient trauma system, Teter said. ``You have to be organized from communities on up,�� he said. 
The researchers noted other factors could have contributed to the decline in deaths during the study period, including increasing use of air bags and crackdowns on drunken driving and failure to use seatbelts. But even when they took those into account, the benefits seen with trauma systems remained. The researchers examined data involving victims who were front-seat occupants of a vehicle and ages 15 to 74. Last year, there were some 6 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes nationwide and about 41,300 deaths. Crashes are the leading cause of trauma deaths in this country. 
``Prevention is obviously the key here,�� Nathens said. ``But once the crash occurs, you need a system to get the right person to the right place in the shortest amount of time possible.��   
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