About the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland

For more than 50 years, the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center has been a worldwide leader in trauma care. Shock Trauma is the heart of Maryland’s exceptional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) — the first coordinated system in the country and a national model of excellence. To date, more than 200,000 people have been cared for at Shock Trauma.

When Life is on the Line...

“The R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center is Maryland’s Primary Adult Resource Center (PARC) serving more than 6,000 critically ill and severely injured people each year. These are people who get up each day, leave their home for work or school and end up here at Shock Trauma. Our team is committed to giving every person a second chance.”

THOMAS M. SCALEA, MD, FACS, MCCM
Physician-in-Chief, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center
System Chief for Critical Care Services
University of Maryland Medical System
The Honorable Francis X. Kelly Distinguished Professor of Trauma Surgery
Director, Program in Trauma
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Facts

We are the designated trauma hospital in Maryland to treat the most severely injured and critically ill patients.

Approximately 95% of patients brought to Shock Trauma survive their injuries.

Falls and motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of injury among Shock Trauma patients.

The Trauma Center maintains an advanced resuscitation team capable of responding to the scene of seriously injured patients. This physician-led Go-Team complements first responders by providing critical care and surgical services typically considered beyond the scope of EMS clinicians.

The Center for Injury Prevention and Policy offers programs for violence and injury prevention reaching over 32,000 Marylanders. Stop the Bleed training was added in 2017 and has reached 10,043 people.

Shock Trauma’s Center for Critical Care and Trauma Education has a 10,000-square-foot medical simulation area with four reconfigurable labs and three adjacent classrooms and debriefing areas. The simulation center will support the development, implementation, and continuous evaluation of many courses related to trauma and critical care management including ATLS, ATCN, ATOM, CALS and BEST.

The Critical Care Resuscitation Unit (CCRU) is a state-of-the-art 6-bed unit. Each year, the CCRU sees more than 1,500 critically ill patients with neurosurgical, neurological, vascular, cardiac and medical emergencies.

The Lung Rescue Program, started in 2014, offers comprehensive treatment for patients with acute cardiac and respiratory failure and patients in need of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

The Center for Hyperbaric Medicine is internationally recognized for its leadership and expertise in the clinical application of hyperbaric therapy. It is the statewide referral center for people who experience decompression sickness, carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, delayed effects of radiation treatment, non-healing wounds, gas gangrene, and treatment for dive emergencies. The Center has the only multi-place hyperbaric chamber in Maryland and can accommodate up to 23 patients and care providers per dive. In FY 2022, the Center provided inpatient and outpatient treatment during 888 dives totaling 4,189 hours.

To read more about the Shock Trauma Center, visit www.umms.org/ummc/health-services/shock-trauma.

Meet our Volunteer Leadership

Shock Trauma Center Board of Visitors