Combat Vascular Trauma Management for the General Surgeon

Abstract

This review focuses on the initial management and stabilization of complex vascular injuries for the general surgeon within the combat zone. Recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria demonstrate that general surgeons are responsible for the initial surgical management of combat-related vascular trauma in damage control scenarios. These injuries display a more complex injury pattern and often require different management strategies than seen in civilian trauma. Vascular trauma in combat settings is often accompanied by a multitude of life- and limb-threatening injuries. Definitive repair operations are often deferred for initial damage control surgery and resuscitation. Resultant strategies to restore perfusion and control bleeding are determined by the patient’s underlying physiology and frequently require the use of vascular shunts, ligation, primary anastomosis, or interposition grafting. While general surgeons in the combat zone are not typically responsible for definitive repair during initial damage control surgery, proper initial surgical management in the far-forward setting with an intimate understanding of future repair strategies remains critical aspects in assuring optimal definitive treatment.