Battlefield casualties treated at Camp Rhino, Afghanistan: lessons learned.
J Trauma
; 54(5): 814-21, 2003 May.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-12777893
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Operation Enduring Freedom is an effort to combat terrorism after an attack on the United States. The first large-scale troop movement (> 1,300) was made by the U.S. Marines into the country of Afghanistan by establishing Camp Rhino.METHODS:
Data were entered into a personal computer at Camp Rhino, using combat casualty collecting software.RESULTS:
Surgical support at Camp Rhino consisted of two surgical teams (12 personnel each), who set up two operating tables in one tent. During the 6-week period, a total of 46 casualties were treated, and all were a result of blast or blunt injury. One casualty required immediate surgery, two required thoracostomy tube, and the remainder received fracture stabilization or wound care before being transported out of Afghanistan. The casualties received 6 major surgical procedures and 11 minor procedures, which included fracture fixations. There was one killed in action and one expectant patient. The major problem faced was long delay in access to initial surgical care, which was more than 5 hours and 2 hours for two of the casualties.CONCLUSION:
Smaller, more mobile surgical teams will be needed more frequently in future military operations because of inability to set up current larger surgical facilities, and major problems will include long transport times. Future improvements to the system should emphasize casualty evacuation, en-route care, and joint operations planning between services.
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Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Guerra
/
Traumatologia
/
Extremidades
/
Medicina Militar
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
/
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Trauma
Ano de publicação:
2003
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos