Neurotrauma Program

At a Glance: Our Neurotrauma Program

The type of injury most likely to result in death or lifelong disability is neurotrauma; specifically traumatic brain injury (TBI) or spinal cord injury (SCI). In fact, approximately 1.5 million Americans experience a TBI every single year.

In Arizona alone, the neurotrauma injury rate exceeds the national average in multiple categories; most notably in traffic crashes and injuries related to falls. The exact reasons for this are not known, but here’s 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.
• Injuries are the fifth leading cause of death and disability among all 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 the state, 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.

The Barrow Difference

The number of people surviving after serious neurological injury has been on an upward trend, in no small part due to burgeoning prehospital care and centers of excellence specializing in the treatment of TBI and SCI.

Our program was the first American College of Surgeons (ACS)-verified Level I Trauma Center in Arizona. Beyond treating approximately 5,000 serious injuries each year, advantages of treatment at our Neurotrauma Program includes:

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