Within the Platinum Ten concept, how many minutes from arrival are allowed to get the patient en route to a trauma center?

• A. 10 minutes
• B. 20 minutes
• C. 15 minutes
• D. 5 minutes

Answer: (A)

Platinum Ten is about getting a trauma patient to definitive care as quickly as possible, aiming to have them en route to a trauma center within ten minutes of responders arriving on scene. This tight window matters because every minute counts in serious injuries—the quicker definitive care can begin, the better the chances of survival. In practice, you perform only essential on-scene life-saving steps and then move promptly to transport, ensuring you’ve alerted the receiving trauma center and chosen the fastest route, all while avoiding unnecessary delays. The goal is to minimize on-scene time and start transport within that ten-minute target, since longer on-scene times correlate with worse outcomes.