Management of military wounds in the modern era

Chris Taylor is Specialist Training Registrar, Department of Plastic Surgery, Sandwell General Hospital, West Bromwich; Steven Jeffery is Consultant Burns and Plastic Surgeon, Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham Improvements in the immediate medical and surgical care of battle casualties, and in body armour, have meant that soldiers are surviving injuries which would have killed them if sustained in previous conflicts. This has resulted in an increase in the complexity of the wounds that require reconstruction and new challenges for the orthoplastic team. Management of wound exudate, pain and nutrition are vitally important, as is control of the wound microbiology.These patients are best looked after in a single facility which has on-site trauma specialties, so that corporate knowledge of how to look after these unique injury patterns can be developed.