Scientific paperCombat trauma experience with the United States Army 102nd Forward Surgical Team in Afghanistan†
Section snippets
Methods
The United States Army 102nd FST was created in fall 2001 in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks. In the ensuing months, the unit prepared for deployment. Training included a 1-month rotation at the United States Military's Advanced Trauma Training Center at the Ryder Trauma Center at the University of Miami, Florida. The Advanced Trauma Training Center was created to allow FSTs to experience real-world trauma training and team building in the setting of a busy stateside level I
Results
The team performed 112 operations on 90 patients during the course of 7 months. Data on patients were collected sequentially and reviewed retrospectively. Twenty of the patients were <19 years old. Trauma accounted for 79% of cases; the remaining cases were nontrauma or elective. Sixty-eight percent of these surgeries were performed on Afghan militia and civilians, 29% on United States soldiers, and 3% on other coalition forces (New Zealanders and Romanians). Only 3 patients were female, and
Comments
Sophisticated trauma care can be delivered on the modern battlefield using techniques developed and refined during the last 60 years in both military and civilian trauma settings. Our FST was effective as the initial echelon of care after the combat lifesavers on the ground, the medics, and soldiers in the maneuver units. FSTs can also be adapted to the strategic and tactical situation to provide expanded surgical and holding capabilities as was done in the case of the 102nd FST in Afghanistan.
References (2)
- et al.
The military surgeon and the war on terrorisma Zollinger legacy
Am J Surg
(2003) - Field Manual 8-10-25. Employment of Forward Surgical Teams. Department of the Army,...
Cited by (0)
- †
This is an original work by the authors. The opinions expressed are the authors' alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the United States government, the Department of Defense, the United States Army, or Madigan Army Medical Center.