Mass casualties: Military and civilian

Abstract

Mass casualty events are incidents incurring a large number of casualties and disrupting the normal deployment and operation of the emergency health care services, effectively overwhelming the system to the point that not all patients can receive immediate and complete care. The nature of the incident, its destructive force, and where it takes place determine the severity and diversity of injuries. Additionally, the number of victims will be a major factor in determining whether the mass casualty event overwhelms the local medical and public health services. Trauma centers are uniquely positioned to respond to mass casualty emergencies when compared to general hospitals, based on their resource availability, constant state of readiness, extra capacity, and strong connections with the local and regional emergency care community. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.