Which hospital would you contact as the backup pediatric trauma center when the designated pediatric center is unavailable?

• A. UCSD (backup pediatric trauma center)
• B. Rady Children's Hospital
• C. Sharp Memorial Hospital
• D. Scripps Memorial

Answer: (A)

When a pediatric trauma patient can’t be taken to the designated pediatric center, you follow the backup plan so the child still reaches a facility equipped for pediatric trauma without delay. In this system, there is a primary pediatric trauma center and a designated backup center ready to receive pediatric cases. The backup center is chosen because it has the necessary pediatric specialists, equipment, and staffing to manage children in trauma.

In this scenario, UCSD is designated as the backup pediatric trauma center, so you would contact them when the primary center isn’t available. The other hospitals listed do not carry the pediatric trauma center designation in this system, so they aren’t used as the backup.