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Home Medical Services Trauma Critical Care Surgery

Trauma and Critical Care Surgery Services

As Orange County’s only certified Level I adult trauma center and Level II pediatric trauma center, UCI Medical Center provides our region’s most advanced care to help people of all ages survive life-threatening injuries.

UCI Health trauma, burn and critical care specialists deliver this life-saving care around the clock, 365 days a year. We are the region’s leading experts in the treatment of all critical and traumatic injuries, including:

  • Head trauma
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Significant sports injuries
  • Stab wounds

Our designation as a Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, verified by the American College of Surgeons, means that we are fully equipped — with the expertise and the latest in imaging, surgical techniques, testing and monitoring technologies, and access to a dedicated blood bank — to provide total care for every aspect of even the most severe injuries.

We know that each patient is facing unexpected, challenging injuries that require personalized care. Our team of trauma and surgical-critical care experts — led by Dr. Michael Lekawa — is dedicated to meeting the individual needs of every patient, from the moment they enter our doors until long after discharge, through rehabilitation and outpatient care.

For more information about our trauma and critical care services, please call us at 714-456-8008.

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Why Choose Us

UCI Medical Center, as part of Orange County's only academic health system, has vast medical resources available at any time, day or night. 

We are the only trauma center in Orange County where all trauma surgeons are board-certified surgical intensivists with specialized training in surgical critical care. We also have leading specialists in:

  • Emergency medicine
  • Neurosurgery
  • Stroke
  • Cardiothoracic and vascular surgery
  • Gastrointestinal surgery
  • Head and neck surgery
  • Orthopaedic surgery
  • Reconstructive plastic surgery
  • High-risk maternal-fetal medicine
  • Anesthesiology
  • Radiology
  • Pharmacology

Ranked No. 5 among the best hospitals in the greater Los Angeles area by U.S. New & World Report, UCI Medical Center has extensive expertise and state-of-the-art facilities and services, including: 

  • The region's only dedicated hospital blood bank, enabling us to meet the needs of critically injured patients within minutes of their arrival in the emergency room
  • The region's most advanced emergency room and skilled emergency medicine specialists
  • Operating rooms equipped with the most advanced imaging, monitoring and surgical technologies
  • Intensive care units (ICUs) for adult and pediatric patients, as well as for patients with burns and neurological conditions
  • Orange County’s only robust trauma and critical care research program, allowing us to treat our patients using the newest information and the latest in life-saving techniques
  • Teaching providers and the public how to control bleeding in emergency situations with "Stop-the-Bleed" classes

To be verified as a Level I trauma center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), a hospital must be a comprehensive regional resource that is essential to the area's trauma system. It must be able to provide total care for all aspects of traumatic and critical injuries — from prevention through rehabilitation. 

We are proud that our Level I adult trauma center has been certified repeatedly by ACS for meeting the highest standards of care. And our verification in 2012 as Orange County's first Level II pediatric trauma center also has been recertified by ACS.

Conditions & Treatments

UCI Health trauma and critical care experts are skilled in treating the full spectrum of severe and life-threatening injuries, including:

  • Reimplantation
    At UCI Health, we have a trauma surgeon in-house and available 24/7. Our trauma surgeons work with a multidisciplinary team of specialists to reattach severed fingers, arms and legs.
  • Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion
    TBI and concussion are among the most common injuries requiring intensive care for people of all ages. We work closely with neurosurgeons to provide swift and aggressive state-of-the-art care for these injuries.
  • Vascular injuries
    Complex vascular injuries are challenging to repair. Our team of trauma surgeons, vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists and work in state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms that allow for endovascular (within the artery) and surgical approaches to treat for these complicated injuries.
  • Chest trauma
    Our trauma team has pioneered the newest methods to manage chest trauma, specifically rib fractures. UCI Medical Center is the only hospital in California to offer minimally invasive rib fracture repair, using leading-edge technology to insert specialized plates into the chest through tiny keyhole incisions.

Learn more about the conditions we treat

Our Physicians

Our trauma center is the only one in Orange County whose surgeons are board-certified surgical intensivists with training in both general surgery and surgical critical care.