Improving Anaesthesia and Sedation through the Battlefield
Abstract
Large numbers of NATO personnel have been injured over the last two decades in recent high intensity combat operations. These personnel would almost certainly have required at least one episode of anaesthesia or procedural sedation. However, there are currently no standardised NATO guidelines for anaesthesia or sedation. This could be a significant concern as anaesthesia providers credentials, qualifications and practices will vary amongst NATO contributing forces. Combat related injuries differ significantly from those sustained in civilian trauma care and are characterised by an increased proportion of blast related injuries as well as high energy transfer penetrating injuries. The injuries sustained are often multiple and may be combined with blunt trauma and burns. Consequently, the anaesthesia and sedation in the combat environment will differ from the civilian setting. Also, the military environment is characterised by multiple patient transfers and interventions at different levels of care where capabilities of providers and equipment vary between different nations and at different echelons of care.HFM-250 reviewed the national policies of all the panel contributing nations, as well as other NATO countries where available, in several key areas of anaesthesia and sedation for combat injuries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1183656
Entities
Organizations
- NATO Science and Technology Organization