Enduring Combat to Develop New Trauma Protocols

Abstract

In the waning days of World War II, Michael DeBakey was quoted as saying, “the only winner in war is medicine”. Revolutionary innovations and technical advances in the disciplines of medicine, surgery, and anesthesia of medicine and nursing are inextricably connected to military conflict. The last decade of war has likewise produced evolution of long accepted concepts, including prehospital trauma care, acute resuscitation, and forward deployed surgical care teams. The demonstrated life-saving value of these novel approaches in high acuity trauma has provided the impetus for translation of these elements into injury care in the civilian environment.