Primary Children’s Hospital Salt Lake City is an ACS-verified Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, providing the highest level of pediatric trauma care. Its sister campus, Primary Children’s Hospital – Lehi, also functions as a trauma center, extending expert emergency and trauma services to children and families in southern and central Utah.

The trauma team is activated when a child arrives with injuries that may require immediate evaluation and treatment. This allows specialists from multiple disciplines to be ready and working together from the moment care begins.

Whenever possible, we encourage parents and caregivers to remain involved in their child's care. There may be times during emergency treatment or procedures when family members are asked to wait briefly while the care team works.

If time allows, bring your child's identification, insurance information, medication list, and any important medical records. If you arrive without these items, our team will focus on your child's care first and help gather information later.

Before you leave, you'll receive instructions for caring for your child at home, warning signs to watch for, medication guidance, and contact information for questions. If follow-up care is needed, we'll help coordinate appointments before discharge.

Many follow-up appointments are arranged before your child leaves the hospital. If additional appointments are needed after discharge, our team can help connect you with the appropriate specialists, therapies, or services.

Depending on your child's needs, rehabilitation services may include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, rehabilitation medicine, and other specialized services designed to help children regain strength, function, and independence after an injury.

The most common causes of pediatric trauma include falls, motor vehicle crashes, bicycle and ATV accidents, sports injuries, burns, drowning and near-drowning incidents, and farm or recreational injuries. Prompt evaluation and treatment by a pediatric trauma surgery team can help reduce complications and support recovery.

Infants may show fewer obvious signs of serious injury and instead become unusually sleepy, irritable, difficult to comfort, vomit repeatedly, or have trouble feeding. Older children are often better able to describe pain, dizziness, headaches, or vision changes. Any child with a significant injury should be evaluated promptly by a medical professional.

Take your child to the emergency department immediately if they have trouble breathing, lose consciousness, have a serious head injury, severe bleeding, suspected broken bones with deformity, severe burns, significant abdominal pain after an injury, or any injury that appears life-threatening. Children with serious injuries may require evaluation by a pediatric trauma surgeon or pediatric trauma surgery team.