Does rural Mississippi have access to emergency neurosurgical care?

Acute neurosurgical emergencies are a potentially devastating occurrence requiring prompt evaluation and intervention by a neurosurgeon. Current consensus for acute subdural hematoma evacuation recommends a maximum time period of four hours from injury to operation; other injuries require prompt evaluation by a neurosurgeon but do not have soundly supported recommendations. Rural hospitals, such as Field Memorial Community Hospital in Centreville, MS, transfer acutely injured neurosurgical patients to centers with neurosurgical capability after initial stabilization. We report our experience with neurosurgical transfer patients and examine times from injury to arrival at neurosurgical care centers after being stabilized and transferred from Field Hospital.