DEDICATED OPERATING-ROOM FOR TRAUMA - A COSTLY RECOMMENDATION

Background: A dedicated operating room (OR) for urgent trauma cases is suggested by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma as a necessary component of a Level I or II trauma center. We describe a cast analysis of this recommendation. Methods: Two models for staffing urgent trauma cases were constructed. Urgent trauma cases were define d as those taken to the OR within 30 minutes of arrival. In one model the OR was available 24 hours a day with in-hospital personnel, The se cond model used an out-of-hospital call schedule, assuming a patient-r eady OR in 30 minutes. Costs and revenue per urgent case were calculat ed. A break-even analysis shows the number of cases required for costs to equal revenue. Results: In the 24-hour model, the cost/urgent case is $14,288; in the call-schedule model $3,243. The number of cases to break even in the 24-hour model is 1210; in the call-schedule model 3 75. Conclusions: A call-schedule model is the least costly way to staf f are OR for urgent trauma cases.