War trauma and battle injuries. Battlefield health care

Abstract

The study of war trauma and treatment of the wounded on the battlefield nowadays presents a scientific challenge, given the evolving complexity and contemporary elements of war. Understanding the distinction between civil and war trauma as well as their philosophy of management is an essential need. The principles of injury management currently applied in the urban environment are inevitably modified for casualties on the battlefield where penetrating trauma is frequent, local conditions difficult, the environment inhospitable and the availability of materials and tools minimal. Causative mechanisms of war trauma and the distinction between battle injuries and non-battle injuries on the battlefield constitute a separate focus of study in modern literature. War trauma mortality and trauma management are defined differently in relation to common urban trauma. The provision of care “under fire”, “at tactical level” and “during the evacuation — transportation” of casualties represents a new specialist area involving different priorities and principles of assessment and management. The analysis of conditions surrounding trauma management on the battlefield aims to highlight the need for well-organized and trained teams consisting of military medical personnel able to respond to mass or non-mass casualty emergencies.