Acute Care Surgery
University of Iowa Health Care is an American College of Surgeons verified Level-1 Adult and Level-1 Pediatric Trauma Center, as well as a verified Burn Treatment Center by the American Burn Association. UI Health Care serves as a major referral center for critically injured adult and pediatric patients, admitting more than 1,400 patients for traumatic injuries each year.
Acute Care Surgery Trauma Courses
In addition to the optimum care provided to severely injured or sick surgical patients, we also offer instructor-led courses, such as:
- ABLS (Advanced Burn Life Support)
- ASSET (Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma)
- ATOM (Advanced Trauma Operative Management)
- FCCS (Fundamentals of Critical Care Support)
Acute Care Surgery Specialties
Pancreatitis
- Chronic pseudocyst
- Necrotizing pancreatitis
Skin and Soft Tissue
- Soft tissue infection/abscess
- Torso/extremities mass or cystic lesions
Small and Large Bowel Disease
- Diverticulum/duplication/cystic lesions
- Enterocutaneous fistula
- Enterovesical or enterovaginal fistula
- Mesenteric disease
- Obstruction
- Perforation
- Placement of stable enteric feeding access (PEG, G-tube, J-tube)
Biliary Disease (open or laparoscopy)
- Gallbladder dysfunction
- Gallbladder polyp
- Stone disease
Peptic Ulcer Disease
- Obstruction or mass lesion
- Pyloric outlet obstruction
- Recurrent bleeding and/or perforation
Emergency General Surgery
- Acute Cholecystitis
- Acute internal bleeding
- Free air under the diaphragm
- Necrotizing acute soft tissue infection
- Visceral Organ Perforation
Trauma
- Follow-up post trauma care
- Fall prevention classes
Spleen
- ITP
- Splenic Cysts
- Splenomegaly requiring surgery
Hernia (open or laparoscopy)
- Incisional/ventral (at the site of a previous surgery)
- Inguinal (groin)
- Lumbar
- Umbilical (belly button)
Our Care Team
![Luis J. Garcia, MD, FACS portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/ljgarcia.jpg.webp?itok=aEjVD7gS)
![Kevin Huang, MD portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2022-10/kevhuang.jpg.webp?itok=HG8DvcZy)
- Surgery
![Daniel Kohn, DO, MS portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2023-07/djkohn.jpg.webp?itok=W1X7m-sE)
- Surgery
![Alexander Kurjatko, MD, MPH portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2023-09/akurjatko.jpg.webp?itok=JkgEDWkO)
- Ambulatory Surgery
- Surgery
![Patrick McGonagill, MD portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/pmcgonag.jpg.webp?itok=vlQgacT2)
![Kristen C. Sihler, MD, MS, FACS portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/sihlerk.jpg.webp?itok=VunoxfpC)
- Surgery
![Dionne Skeete, MD portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/skeeted.jpg.webp?itok=CBxeCYPI)
![Annika Storey, DO, FACOS portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2023-02/astrey.jpg.webp?itok=3Axmjy3P)
- Surgery
![Robert Bertellotti, MD portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/rbertellotti.jpg.webp?itok=ygWpKC_H)
![Lucy A. Wibbenmeyer, MD portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/wibbenmeyerl.jpg.webp?itok=s94I9ruI)
![Shady Alhayek, MD portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2023-02/hayeks.jpg.webp?itok=EKvH9Pyp)
![Olivia Anders Boydston, PA-C portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2024-02/Boydston_Olivia_2024_02.png.webp?itok=vvbxTP2_)
- Surgery
![Alysa Crawford, PA-C portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2024-06/crawfordam.jpg.webp?itok=MLpYRRBZ)
- Surgery
![Josie Herz, PA-C portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2023-02/herzj.jpg.webp?itok=KipCaGvh)
- Surgery
![Amber Lange, PA-C portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2023-02/allange.jpg.webp?itok=vZAduCvo)
- Surgery
- Emergency Medicine
![Staci Vaske, PA-C portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/2023-05/savaske.jpg.webp?itok=gc_WEzth)
- Surgery
![Cheryl Byrnes, ARNP portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/byrnesc.jpg.webp?itok=WIuVQV25)
![Lynn Nelson, ARNP portrait](/sites/default/files/styles/200x300/public/uihc_org/nelsonl.jpg.webp?itok=JMDTc_IV)
- Surgery
Not sure which Acute Care Surgery provider is right for you?
Locations and Offices
![Burn Treatment Center at UI Hospitals & Clinics](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/2022-06/Burn%20Treatment%20Center.jpg.webp?itok=0Az4cQzI)
![Emergency Room Entrance at UI Hospitals & Clinics](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/2022-06/20220622_Emergency_02-edit.jpg.webp?itok=J1t50bnr)
![Surgery Speciality Clinic Entrance at UI Hospitals & Clinics](/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/2022-06/Surgery%20Speciality%20Clinic.jpg.webp?itok=yomcnhac)
Related Health Topics
Patient Stories
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Support Groups
Please join us for Stepping On, a seven-week workshop series to learn important exercises and strategies to help prevent falls.
Building Confidence and Reducing Falls
What is Stepping On?
Stepping On is a program that has been researched and proven to reduce falls in older people.
It consists of a workshop that meets for two hours a week for seven weeks. Workshops are led by two trained Stepping On professionals who partner to provide participants with a quality adult learning environment. In addition, local guest experts provide information on exercise, vision, safety, and medications.
Fall prevention topics include:
- Simple and fun balance and strength training
- The role vision plays in keeping your balance
- How medications can contribute to falls
- Ways to keep from falling when out in your community
- What to look for in safe footwear
- How to eliminate falls hazards from your home
Why should I be concerned about falling?
Falling is very common; it can result in injury and shake your confidence. The threat of falling can be a barrier to safely doing all the things you want to do at home and in the community. That’s why preventing falls is critical to maintaining independence.
Fall injury statistics
- More than one-third of people age 65 or older fall each year
- Falls are the leading cause of hospitalizations due to injury among older adults
- 35 percent of people who fall become less active
- 40 percent of people who enter a nursing home had a fall in the prior 30 days
What Stepping On workshop participants had to say:
“When I’m walking I still think, ‘Lift your feet, walk heel-to-toe’. I have stopped falling outside! It has made me more aware of the way I walk.”
“Not only did we learn some things about preventing falls, but we had a good time doing it. It was really fun.”
Is this fall and injury prevention workshop for you?
Stepping On is designed specifically for anyone who:
- Is 65 or older
- Has had a fall in the past year or is fearful of falling
- Lives at home
- Does not have dementia
How do I register?
Next class begins in 2024. More information to come.
Stepping On is a seven-week, two hours per week, interdisciplinary workshop that covers fall prevention topics such as home safety, vision care, medications, safe footwear, community safety, and exercise. The exercises are aimed at increasing strength and balance. Stepping On has been shown to decrease falls by 31% in older adults.
Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention is an eight-week class series that meets one hour twice per week for a total of 16 class sessions. Modified tai chi programs reduce falls in older adults up to 49%.
Upcoming classes include:
July 8 & 11
July 15 & 18
July 22 & 25
July 29 & Aug 1
Aug 5 & 8
Aug 12 & 15
Aug 19 & 22
Aug 26 & 29