title: Triage in military settings.
abstract: Triage, a medical term derived from the French word "trier", is the practical process of sorting casualties to rationally allocate limited resources. In combat settings with limited medical resources and long transportation times, triage is challenging since the objectives are to avoid overcrowding medical treatment facilities while saving a maximum of soldiers and to get as many of them back into action as possible. The new face of modern warfare, asymmetric and non-conventional, has led to the integrative evolution of triage into the theatre of operations. This article defines different triage scores and algorithms currently implemented in military settings. The discrepancies associated with these military triage systems are highlighted. The assessment of combat casualty severity requires several scores and each nation adopts different systems for triage on the battlefield with the same aim of quickly identifying those combat casualties requiring lifesaving and damage control resuscitation procedures. Other areas of interest for triage in military settings are discussed, including predicting the need for massive transfusion, haemodynamic parameters and ultrasound exploration.
authors.affiliation: Department of anaesthesiology and intensive care, Percy military teaching hospital, 101, avenue Henri-Barbusse, 92140 Clamart, France. Electronic address: isabeth84@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Falzone
authors.affiliation: Department of anaesthesiology and intensive care, Percy military teaching hospital, 101, avenue Henri-Barbusse, 92140 Clamart, France; 14th Airborne forward surgical team, 75000 Paris, France. Electronic address: pasquier9606@me.com.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasquier
authors.affiliation: Burn centre, Percy military teaching hospital, Clamart, France. Electronic address: clement.hoffmann@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: 14th Airborne forward surgical team, 75000 Paris, France; Department of orthopaedic surgery, Bégin military teaching hospital, Saint-Mandé, France. Electronic address: olive.barbier@gmail.com.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barbier
authors.affiliation: Department of anaesthesiology and intensive care, Percy military teaching hospital, 101, avenue Henri-Barbusse, 92140 Clamart, France. Electronic address: mathieuboutonnet@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boutonnet
authors.affiliation: French military health service academy, école du Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France. Electronic address: salvadori.alexandre@gmail.com.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.affiliation: French military health service academy, école du Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France. Electronic address: audrey.jarrassier@hotmail.fr.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jarrassier
authors.affiliation: French military health service academy, école du Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France. Electronic address: julierenner2403@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Renner
authors.affiliation: 14th Airborne forward surgical team, 75000 Paris, France; Department of visceral surgery, Bégin military teaching hospital, Saint-Mandé, France. Electronic address: bricemalgras@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Malgras
authors.affiliation: Department of anaesthesiology, Marie Lannelongue surgical centre, 92350 Le Plessis-Robinson, France. Electronic address: merat.stephane@wanadoo.fr.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mérat
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006801:Humans; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D008889:Military Personnel; D014218:Triage / Q000379:methods*; D014857:Warfare
keywords: Combat casualty; Damage control; Echography; Massive transfusion; Trauma; Triage