Riad Cachecho, M.D., was recently named medical director of the Crozer Regional Trauma Center.
The Crozer Regional Trauma Center at Crozer-Chester Medical Center is the only trauma center in Delaware County and Chester County. Designated a Regional Level II Trauma Center by the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, the Trauma Center treats about 2,000 trauma and burn patients each year.
“The Crozer Regional Trauma Center serves a vital role in Delaware County and throughout the region. We believe that Dr. Cachecho possesses the necessary leadership and clinical skills to help lead our trauma team into the future. We welcome him to the Crozer-Keystone Health System,” says Joan K. Richards, chief operating officer of Crozer-Keystone Health System and president of CKHS Hospitals.
Cachecho is a graduate of Damascus University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in general surgery and a fellowship in critical care medicine at Boston University Medical Center.
Dr. Cachecho has years of experience in the management of the critically injured, including serving as associate director of the intensive care units at Boston University Medical Center and Boston City Hospital. He was also an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Boston University School of Medicine. He is a member of the American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) and the Society of Critical Care.
Cachecho’s surgical interests beyond the care of trauma patients include minimally invasive hernia, gastrointestinal and breast surgery including stereotactic breast biopsy and sentinel lymph node mapping. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgery and the American College of Chest Physicians.
Cachecho says that he looks forward to continuing to strengthen the team approach employed by the Trauma Center. This team is made up of the physicians, nurses, EMS personnel and other health care professionals who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to treat trauma victims.
“No one person can take credit for any success in trauma,” he says. “The delivery of trauma depends first and foremost on the integration of different pre-hospital, in-hospital and post-discharge services that are managed by dedicated and experienced staff. If one member of this network fails the entire system will react.”
He adds, “My vision is to make the different services involved in the Trauma system work together for the betterment of the trauma victims. Interaction among different services will be seamless. Quality of care issues will be discussed and resolved in a multidisciplinary manner.”
Cachecho will also serve as medical director of Crozer’s new Shock/Trauma Unit (formerly the Intensive Care Unit), a dedicated intensive care unit for the medical center’s most critically injured patients. The unit is directed by trauma physicians and staffed by eight trauma nurses and two nurse practitioners with the specialized training and experience required to provide the intensive care needed.
“Evidence-based medicine will be the foundation of the care of the critically ill patients in the Shock/Trauma Unit. Although the experiences of individual physicians are invaluable, protocol-driven treatments supported by strong peer-reviewed literature will be instituted to provide safe and efficient patient care,” Cachecho says.
Cachecho has already worked to lead the implementation of a new insulin protocol in all intensive care units at Crozer after it was piloted in the Shock/Trauma Unit. This protocol was the result of the collaborative efforts made by the departments of Endocrinology, Pharmacy, Trauma and Nursing.
“Dr. Cachecho came to Crozer with great credentials. Early into his tenure at Crozer, it has become clear that he has the experience, commitment and forward-thinking philosophy to help our trauma program grow and improve,” says Joe Saunders, chief operating officer of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Crozer-Keystone vice president.
Cachecho’s office is located in Suite 440 in the Vivacqua Pavilion. He can be reached at (610) 447-6090.