Wellspring

In This Issue

• Prepping for Trauma
• The Time is Now
• Life in the Emergency Department
• Care in the Air
• Morgan’s Gift
• Return to Tranquility
• Patient Beats the Odds
• A Real Victory for the Citizens of Solano
• Meet NorthBay's Trauma Team
• The Golden Hour
• A Matter of Priorities
• Never a Dull Moment
• Language is No Barrier
• New Emergency Services Director Shares Insights Online
• When to Visit the ER
• Back from the Brink...
• NorthBay ED Treats Lawnmower Accident
• Care Continues
• ED Provides Quick Care for Dog Bite Victim
• NICU
• A Race to Birth
• Party Set for NICU Grads
• Steer Clear of Trouble
• What’s in Your First Aid Kit?
• Fall Prevention Can Save Your Life
• Hospice Tree of Memories Event
• Rotary Club Donation Will Help NICU Moms
• Oretta’s Garden Gift
• Girls’ Night Out: Mardi Gras Fun
• Genentech, River Cats Team Up to Benefit NorthBay Cancer Center
• A Perennially Classic Event
• New Bereavement Support Group Offered
• Advanced Medicine Lecture Series
• Adventure Continues for Nurse Camp Students
• Surgery for Maggy
• New Physicians
• Center for Primary Care Ranked Among the Best
• Choose NorthBay Healthcare During Open Enrollment
• Hands on Approach to Pain
• Vacaville Expansion Moves Ahead
• Wellspring Garners National Awards

The Golden Hour

October 7, 2011 · No Comments

Emergency Medical Service personnel rush a patient in to the NorthBay Medical Center Emergency Department.

In emergency medicine, the "golden hour" refers to the first 60 minutes after a trauma has occurred. It is widely believed that a victim’s chance of survival is greatest if he or she receives emergency care within the first hour.

The golden hour was first described by R. Adams Cowley, M.D., at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. Dr. Cowley’s personal experiences and observations in post-World War II Europe, and then in Baltimore in the 1960s helped him recognize that the sooner trauma patients reached definitive care—particularly if they arrived within 60 minutes of being injured—the better their chance of survival.

The concept of the golden hour comes from U.S. military experience. MASH units and medevac helicopters in the Vietnam War contributed to increasing survival rates. Improvements in medications, techniques and instruments were key to survival, but none of these were of any value if the patient remained separated from the surgeon.

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