A trauma room is an emergency room which treats critical, complex, multiple injury situations that must be attended to immediately, most certainly surgically, if life is to be saved. It is equipped to provide comprehensive emergency medical services to patients suffering traumatic injuries 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. The main purpose of the trauma room is to stabilize the seriously injured person as rapidly as possible so that he may be taken to the operating theatre or to an intensive care unit or to an inpatient ward. A large proportion of these injuries are sustained in serious traffic accidents, falls, explosions or contact with hazardous materials.

The equipment necessary for a single bed unit in the three bed AMC Trauma Room includes:

• A fully equipped crash cart,
• Portable x-ray machine,
• Portable ultra-sound diagnostic unit,
• Multi-parameter patient monitor suitable for all ages with two screens,
• The total array of pediatric and adult airway management equipment and a wide variety of endoscopes,
• Oxygen equipment,
• Pulse oximetry,
• Intravenous therapy kit,
• Emergency medications and a monitor defibrillator,
• IV equipment and fluids, fluid warming device,
• Blood cooling/storage machine, blanket warmer, fiber optic intubation larangoscope,
• The full array of orthopedic and neurological surgical instruments and
• Trans saver boards for safely lifting patients

A trauma room is led by a team of trauma surgeons including such specialists as neurosurgeons and orthopedic surgeons. A trauma center will often have a helipad for receiving patients by MEDEVAC.