The impact of implementing a 247 open trauma bed protocol in the surgical intensive care unit on throughput and outcomes

Increased emergency department (ED) length of stay (LOS) has been associated with increased mortality in trauma patients. In 2010, we implemented a 247 open trauma bed protocol in our designated trauma intensive care units (TICUs) to facilitate rapid admission from the ED. This required maintenance of a daily bump list and timely transferring of patients out of the TICU. We hypothesized that ED LOS and mortality would decrease after implementation.