The war wounded

Book written in French
An indispensible guide to managing the war wounded, taking into account both the nature of the wound and the field hospital conditions.
Every century, different regions of the world have been the scene of armed conflict.
The nature of these conflicts is continually evolving with changing military techniques and the means available to the forces involved.
These changes are also reflected in the nature, number and extent of the wounds inflicted on war victims, and in the care they require.
There are many types of war wounded, ranging from soldiers to civilians of all types, including men, women, children and the elderly.
There are also many types of wound, ranging from a single cut, to multiple lesions and burns.
The way these wounded are cared for also varies depending on the type of conflict and the means made available by the health services: the interval before the patient can be evacuated is sometimes long, some medicines and materials may not be available and massive influxes of the wounded can overwhelm the facilities.
The extraordinary conditions under which healthcare professionals in the field are often required to work and the specific nature of war-inflicted wounds make it impossible to apply the principles of civilian traumatology in this setting.
Intended for doctors and nurses working in war zones, this book provides details of the specific techniques required when dealing with the war wounded, from their evacuation through to their final treatment.

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

Introduction
Management of the war wounded throughout the ages

Recovery from the battlefield
▪ Epidemiology of today's war wounds
▪ Wounding agents, effects of protection and principles of wound ballistics
▪ Combat rescue
▪ Vascular access in the war wounded
▪ Management of hemorrhagic wounds on the battlefield
▪ Management of upper airways in battlefield medicine
▪ Acute respiratory failure: exsufflation and thoracic drainage
▪ Ultrasound at the frontline
▪ Analgesia and pain relief for the war wounded at the forward medical post (role 1)
▪ Impact of environment on the management of the war wounded: cold and hypothermia, high temperatures
▪ Operational medical information
▪ Preparing the war wounded for evacuation

Reanimation and surgery at the front, stabilising treatment
▪ Medical-surgical facilities at the front
▪ Triage
▪ Damage Control
▪ Management of hemorrhagic shock between removal from the battlefield and arrival at the forward surgical post
▪ Abdominal war wounds
▪ Traumatic urological emergencies: surgical management strategy at the front
▪ Thoracic emergencies at the life-saving surgical unit and medical-surgical hospital (roles 2 and 3)
▪ Vascular wounds in battle
▪ Surgical management of ballistic head wounds in battlefield surgery
▪ Spinal wounds in battlefield surgery
▪ ENT, face and neck emergencies
▪ Ophthalmology and the war wounded                            
▪ Initial surgical treatment of battlefield injuries to the limbs
▪ War burns
▪ Pediatric wounds in the war zone
▪ Gynecology and obstetrics during external operations
▪ Wounds caused by explosions
▪ Specifics of reanimation during EO
▪ Antibiotic prophylaxis for war wounds
▪ Adult infection emergencies in the war zone
▪ Management of acute chemical poisoning at the life-saving surgical unit and medical-surgical hospital (roles 1 and 2)
▪ Management of war wounded in NR conditions
▪ Adaptation of health support under NRBC constraints : the decontamination kit and the army decontamination medical unit
▪ Management of the war wounded under B (biological) conditions
▪ Principal medical laboratory tests performed within the framework of treatment for the war wounded

Medical evacuations
▪ Tactical air/land evacuations
▪ Physiological constraints of air transport for patients and equipment
▪ Individual and collective strategic medical air evacuation: logistic and medical solutions

Hospitalisation and final treatment
▪ Secondary management of urological war wounds 
▪ Management of abdominal wounds after repatriation: final treatment and management of complications 
▪ Secondary surgical management of limb war wounds
▪ Management of maxillofacial war wounds
▪ Final neurosurgical treatment of war wounds
▪ Post-traumatic mental disorders: early treatment and continuity of care
▪ Rehabilitation and reinsertion of the war wounded : multidisciplinary and integrative approach of army hospitals (“role 4” to "role 5")