The pediatric patient in wartime

Abstract

Military physicians have amassed and reported a tremendous amount of experience treating combat-related injuries in Iraqi and Afghani children. These were mostly surgeons like yourself - trained to care for adults - with limited experience caring for severely injured children. So they did what they knew - the basic trauma principles that work in adults and largely work in children, with several important caveats. We will cover those exceptions here. Also, war has acted as an accelerator of change along multiple fronts for pediatric trauma care. We will also cover the unexpected problems that come with these littlest patients - problems that each surgeon will encounter and that have nothing to do with throwing stitches or managing a resuscitation. You will see the faces of the children you treat during your deployment for the rest of your life. Make sure you are prepared.