Acute care surgery

Acute care surgery (ACS) is a medical specialty that focuses on immediate and urgent treatment of medical conditions.

A young male doctor meets with a patient in her hoe as he makes a house call. He is wearing a white lab coat, has a stethoscope around his neck and is holding gout a tablet between the two. T A young male doctor meets with a patient in her hoe as he makes a house call. He is wearing a white lab coat, has a stethoscope around his neck and is holding gout a tablet between the two. T

The acute care surgery team consists of surgeons who specialize in trauma surgery, emergency general surgery and surgical care. These surgeons are trained to handle a wide range of surgical emergencies and are often involved in the care of patients who require urgent surgical intervention.

Acute care surgery is based on the principles of trauma care (organized teams, evidence-based processes and procedures and continuous quality improvement). These principles are applied to urgent and emergency surgical conditions.

The goal of acute care surgery is to provide timely and effective surgical intervention for patients facing acute surgical problems.

Acute care surgery services

  • Acute cholecystitis
  • Diverticulitis
  • Gallstone pancreatitis
  • Incarcerated/strangulated hernias
  • Intestinal ischemia
  • Intestinal obstruction
  • Large or compressed abscesses
  • Necrotizing fasciitis
  • Perforated viscus

HSHS St. Vincent Hospital

The ACS team is available at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital 24 hours a day. HSHS St. Vincent Hospital provides a full range of adult patient care, including trauma, acute care surgery and surgical critical care. Our ACS services are backed by the resources of a Level II American College of Surgeons verified trauma center. The ACS team includes surgeons, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers and multiple subspecialty providers as needed. Acute care surgeons are general surgeons who are board certified in surgical critical care, a specialty in urgent, time-sensitive surgical conditions.