I Caused a "Trauma One"

Working in the hospital you hear many different messages called out over the paging system. Most people are familiar with a "code blue, " which pretty much means someone has died. Sometimes the person is able to be resuscitated (revived), and sometimes they are not or it was expected for them to pass.

Most people, including a lot of nurses and doctors who do not work in the emergency room setting, don't know what "trauma one" really means. After working in the emergency department and seeing patients brought in labeled as a "trauma one," I cringe when I hear that called out over the paging system.

The initial arrival of a patient in the trauma one status is chaos to an observer. There is usually an unresponsive victim with massive amounts of injuries and body fluids going everywhere. Dozens of people are swarming to save the person's life, which is hanging in the balance and seconds can make a huge difference in the outcome.

Some of the criteria for a "trauma one" include:

Airway/Breaching Unstable, requiring immediate airway intervention

Severe Facial Injuries

Moderate-Severe Respiratory Distress

Arterial Bleeding

Spinal Shock, Spinal Cord Injury

Head Injury with Loss of Consciousness

Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis Injury

Cardiac or Major Chest Wall Injury

Multiple Long Bone Fractures with Shock

Pulseless Extremity with Evidence of Trauma

Penetrating Trauma to the Head, Face, Torso

The trauma team includes, but is not limited to:  Trauma Surgeon, Emergency Department Attending Physician, Chief Surgical-Trauma Resident Physician, Emergency Department Resident Physician, Several Emergency Department Nurses, Paramedics, Emergency Department Charge nurse, Emergency Department Tech, Respiratory Therapist, X-Ray Technologist, and CT Technologist.

You may wonder why I'm telling you all this, but I want you to get a good visual image of how we respond to someone who meets the trauma one criteria. When someone has suffered these injuries, it's a HUGE deal.

This morning a minister came to our church and preached a message about the crucifixion of Christ. The picture verbally painted by the minister was of a man most certainly in a trauma one status. Read the criteria for trauma one that I listed above again...that was Jesus. I was thinking of how I would have felt if I had walked up and found this Man in that condition today. I know the deep wounds from His beating and torture and agonizing pain He experienced would have required a trauma center and an entire team of medical staff to respond to this Victim.

Then I thought about how I was the cause of this trauma one Victim. My sin beat Him and nailed Him to that cross. My sin induced torture and agonizing pain. My life meant so much to Him that endured great trauma and death to save me. His resurrection allows me to have the gift of eternal life. Why? How? Who am I that the King of kings would endure that for me?

Maybe this isn't profound to you, but picturing Jesus as a trauma one Victim made me realize how serious sin really is. I don't ever want to take for granted the price that He paid at Calvary. I don't ever want to forget that I caused Jesus to be a trauma one Victim, and He loved me enough to endure it.

Just as serious as sin is, His blood is that much more powerful. My sin has been covered by His blood. His crucifixion brings Power to cover that sin. Ephesians 1:7 says that we are redeemed by His blood. Isaiah 43:25 tells us that once He forgives us for our sins, He remembers those sins no more! That is how powerful His blood is!

What an awesome, powerful, merciful, loving God we serve!