UAB Hospital Emergency Department

The UAB Hospital Emergency Department provides compassionate and immediate care for critically ill or injured adult patients. Round-the-clock access to world-class specialists makes UAB Hospital’s Emergency Department the best choice for the highest level of care when you need it. UAB is the only hospital in Alabama currently designated as a Level 1 Adult Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons, and it is a regional referral center for head trauma, spinal cord trauma, burns, and other serious conditions. Our state-of-the-art facility is backed by the full resources of UAB Medicine. UAB Medicine’s emergency physicians are on the forefront of modern medical care, and our nurses have repeatedly been honored for their patient-centered practices through the designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as Alabama’s only Magnet hospital.

In addition to our primary role as the provider for outstanding emergency medical care at the premier academic emergency department in the state of Alabama, the UAB Hospital Emergency Department has significantly expanded our services in the areas of clinical care, emergency medicine education, and National Institutes of Health-funded emergency medicine research. Our clinical services now extend beyond the walls of the Emergency Department, as our faculty and staff provide specialized patient care in multiple areas of the medical center.

Some of our major highlights:

• UAB was the first emergency department in the area to provide therapeutic hypothermia therapy for patients resuscitated after cardiac arrest. Hypothermia therapy is the only tested and proven intervention for preserving neurologic function after a patient survives cardiac arrest.
• The UAB Hospital Emergency Department is part of Alabama’s busiest and most comprehensive Stroke Center, providing advanced care for a large population of stroke patients.
• The UAB Hospital Emergency Department has a virtual Chest Pain Evaluation Unit, where patients experiencing chest pain receive the most advanced, evidence-based cardiac care. The department plays a critical role in UAB’s Chest Pain Center, which consistently ranks among the state’s fastest facilities for delivering life-saving treatment to heart attack patients.
• Our new Hyperbarics and Wound Care Center delivers 100 percent oxygen at pressures greater than atmospheric (sea level) pressure to a patient inside an enclosed chamber environment, helping difficult wounds heal more quickly and effectively.

The UAB Hospital Emergency Department features:

• 45 treatment rooms
• Five integrated patient care areas, each with its own nursing station and support personnel
• Digital radiography in every area
• 32 medical/surgical beds
• Nine urgent care area beds
• Large, ultramodern trauma/burn resuscitation unit with three trauma procedure rooms
•  OR-style lighting
• Two high-speed, multi-detector CT scanners
• On-site stat lab