title: Surgical innovations arising from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
abstract: The delivery of combat casualty care poses numerous challenges including austere conditions, limited supplies and medical personnel, and multiple simultaneous patients. However, the exigent circumstances of the battlefield compel the development of research and the advancement of adaptive, practical medical technologies to support and sustain military health. In Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), modern changes in medical management, coupled with improved protective gear and evacuation capabilities, have facilitated the highest survival rate in combat history.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA. gling@usuhs.mil
authors.forename: Geoffrey S F
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ecklund
mesh_terms: D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006489:Hemostatic Techniques; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*