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Chapter 14 - The Changing Face of Clinical Medicine in Major Trauma

Lessons from Civilian Practice and Military Deployments

from Section 2 - Clinical Aspects of Traumatic Injuries, Epidemics, and Pandemics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2024

By
Justine Lee  and
Keith Porter
Edited by
Richard Williams ,
Verity Kemp ,
Keith Porter ,
Tim Healing  and
John Drury
Richard Williams
Affiliation:
University of South Wales
Verity Kemp
Affiliation:
Independent Health Emergency Planning Consultant
Keith Porter
Affiliation:
University of Birmingham
Tim Healing
Affiliation:
Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London
John Drury
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
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Summary

The survival rate of 90% among wounded UK troops in Afghanistan (2004–2014) was the highest in the history of warfare. Foremost among these were severely disabled amputees, who emerged as an unexpected cohort of survivors of critical injuries. Soldiers who would have died from injuries in earlier wars were kept alive thanks to fellow soldiers highly trained in trauma medicine, paramedics who accompanied the helicopters, and the trauma care that the troops later received in hospital. We discuss our UK experience of learning from warfare, what made a difference, and how new knowledge could be used to improve physical injury and mental health related to trauma care in the UK. For the sake and sacrifice of our fallen and injured soldiers and for the benefit of our future NHS patients, an obligation rests with the NHS to allow the lessons learned from past conflicts to benefit the injured of the future.

Keywords

emergency medicinelessons learnedpre-hospital caresurvivortraumatrauma carewarfare
Type
Chapter
Information
Major Incidents, Pandemics and Mental Health
The Psychosocial Aspects of Health Emergencies, Incidents, Disasters and Disease Outbreaks
 , pp. 89 - 98
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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