Neurotrauma Program

About Our Program

Neurotrauma resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI) is the type of injury most likely to result in death or lifelong disability. To put that in perspective:

• Approximately 1.5 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury every year.
• Roughly 11,000 Americans are hospitalized for spinal cord injury every year.

Neurotrauma in Arizona

Arizona’s injury rate exceeds the national average in most major categories and most notably in traffic crashes and injuries related to falls. The exact reasons for this are not known, but here is what we do know:

• Injuries account for almost 9 percent of all deaths in Arizona.
• Injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in individuals between the ages of one year old and 44 years old and fifth among persons of all ages.
• Arizona’s Traumatic Brain Injury Surveillance Program recorded an incidence rate of 97 traumatic brain injuries per 100,000 people in Arizona compared to a national average of 79 per 100,000 people.
• The incidence rate of spinal cord injury in Arizona was 5.9 per 100,000 people.

What We Are Doing to Help

The number of people surviving after a serious neurological injury has increased in recent years. This increase in survival rate is attributed to improved prehospital care and centers of excellence specializing in the treatment of these injuries. Treatment for neurotrauma at Barrow offers several key advantages, including:

• A highly trained staff of advanced practice neuroscience nurses
• Experienced neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neuroradiologists are always on the premises
• Access to advanced treatments and clinical trials
• Access to advanced facilities

Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center is the first American College of Surgeons (ACS)-verified Level I Trauma Center in Arizona. Approximately 5,000 serious injuries are evaluated and treated each year at Barrow.