Emergency thoracotomy and the military surgeon.
Emergency thoracotomy might be necessary in battle surgery and might, in an era of superspecialization, be a challenge for the present day military surgeon. He or she might, nonetheless, be the only surgeon in the austere circumstances of a forward field surgical team. This paper provides assistance and guidelines for a military surgeon in such circumstances, including surgical indications and approaches, surgical procedures and techniques. It includes recent advances in this area and principles of 'damage control'.
MacFarlane
Campbell
C
Gauteng Provincial Government Department of Health and University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. wmdmac@mweb.co.za
D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D008887:Military Medicine; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013908:Thoracotomy / Q000379:methods*