Effects of Extreme Cold on En Route Care Medical Equipment and Treatment Protocols
Abstract
With the potential for warfighters to be wounded during combat in extremely cold environments, there is the need for renewed medical research revolving around combat casualty care in the Arctic. Current research chiefly involves preventing injuries that are caused by the cold, like frostbite or hypothermia. The objective of this research is to conduct a broad, baseline evaluation of the medical equipment provided to military medical personnel and the standard care protocols that are expected to be performed on patients with traumatic injuries sustained on the battlefield in extreme cold environments. The goal of this project is to understand and document how the extreme cold affects medical materiel as well as casualty care treatment protocols at the point of injury (POI), during prolonged field care (PFC), and through the en route care (ERC) process. Because little is known regarding the magnitude of both patient and caregiver exposure, the accessibility of even minimal shelter and the availability of transportation, these phases of care will be treated as a continuum rather than clearly divisible elements. This project concentrates on evaluating the common medical equipment and casualty care assessment and treatment protocols used at the POI, during PFC and throughout ERC. The benefits of this project will be the documentation of current gaps and deficiencies of both medical devices and treatment protocols, illustrating areas of improvement needed in Arctic and extreme cold POI, PFC and ERC medicine. The findings of this study will direct future Arctic research leading to the development of Arctic-capable medical devices and treatment protocols. The benefits of this research will lead to the increase in both warfighter and civilian survivability in Arctic environments. In the first year of the study, procurement of material exemplars and preparations for testing in cold chambers under controlled conditions was begun.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1221158
Entities
People
- Jack Harris
- Justin Bequette
- Marcus Caldera
- Sylvain Cardin
- William D'angelo
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Center