Emergency War Surgery NATO Handbook: Part IV: Regional Wounds and Injuries: Chapter XXVIII: Wounds and Injuries of the Chest

Management at the Division Level

United States Department of Defense

Whatever could have been done at the unit level but was not done should be done by the divisional medical officer. Chest tubes should be connected to underwater seal and suction. X-ray will help determine whether additional tubes are needed. Antibiotic administration should be continued. The ability to infuse blood may make possible the salvage of occasional casualties who are exsanguinating. Perhaps the most important function of this echelon of care is triage. Two categories of casualties need to be recognized: those who need early surgical care and therefore need priority evacuation, and those casualties who stand a good chance of early return to duty. Thoracic casualties with little or no air leak or bleeding are good candidates for prompt return to duty and should be removed from the evacuation pathway.

Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited.

The listing of any non-Federal product in this CD is not an endorsement of the product itself, but simply an acknowledgement of the source. 

Operational Medicine 2001

Health Care in Military Settings

This web version is provided by The Brookside Associates Medical Education Division.  It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMED P-5139, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense.

Contact Us  ·  ·  Other Brookside Products