Countywide

The calls received by San Diego County’s trauma care system increased by 17% last year, and the 4-year-old program is continuing to save lives of critically injured persons at a greater rate than the national standard, a report released Wednesday showed.

In its annual report to the Board of Supervisors, the county’s Emergency Medical Services agency reported that the six trauma centers throughout the county admitted 6,146 patients--86% of whom survived--in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 1988. During year, trauma patients represented 5.4% of all emergency medical transport calls in the county.

Vehicular crashes were the major cause of severe injuries last year, accounting for 37% of last year’s trauma-case admissions, the report showed. Despite a statewide law requiring the use of seat belts, most vehicular trauma patients were unrestrained at the time of their accidents, according to the report.

The six trauma centers designated by the Board of Supervisors are Children’s Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Palomar Medical Center, Scripps Memorial Hospital, Sharp Memorial Hospital and the UC San Diego Medical Center.