Expert Emergency Care When You Need It Most

In an emergency situation, seconds and minutes can make the difference between life and death. When you or a loved one needs emergency care, Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport’s Department of Emergency Medicine is here to help.

We are the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center, verified by the American College of Surgeons. As a Level 1 Trauma Center, we have all the resources needed to stabilize and treat the most complex traumatic injuries. We treat patients from throughout Louisiana, as well as east Texas and south Arkansas, who need advanced care for critical injuries and illnesses. Our trauma surgeons, emergency doctors and intensive care doctors are available 24 hours a day. Learn more about our trauma care.

When to Go to the Emergency Department

It’s essential to get help right away for life-threatening medical conditions. Call 911 immediately or get to your nearest emergency room or department if you or a loved one has any of the following symptoms or injuries:

Difficulty breathing or severe allergic reaction
Loss of consciousness
Major bleeding
Major head trauma
Severe chest pain
Severe allergic reaction
Severe burn
Sudden vision loss or trouble seeing
Symptoms of a stroke (muscle weakness, trouble speaking or understanding language, sudden blurry vision or loss of vision, sudden dizziness or severe headache with no known cause)

We encourage you to visit Ochsner LSU Urgent Care to get help quickly for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, such as:

Coughs, colds and sore throats
Earaches
Fever or flu-like symptoms
Mild to moderate stomachaches
Minor burns, rashes, sunburns and heat ailments
Non-life-threatening allergic reactions
Rashes or other skin irritations
Select immunizations
Sprains, broken bones and fractures needing X-rays
Urinary pain

Caring for Our Community

Because we are part of an academic medical center, we are heavily involved in teaching the next generation of emergency medicine doctors. Our Emergency Medicine/Family Practice Residency program lets our residents specialize in both emergency medicine and practice. We are one of only three such programs in the United States, and our team provides much-needed medical care to residents of Shreveport and the surrounding rural areas.

We work closely with emergency and first responders, such as the Shreveport Fire Department and Caddo Parish Emergency Medical Services to care and treat for incoming patients, as well as coordinate injury prevention classes within the community at local schools.