Produced by the US Army, this outstanding textbook addresses the appropriate medical management of such typical military wounds as blast injuries, burns and multiple penetrating injuries. It also guides the treatment of other battle and non-battle injuries.

Although called the Third US Revision, this edition of Emergency War Surgery represents an entirely new Handbook. All material is new and revised to reflect lessons learned from ongoing American involvement in Southwest Asia.

The Handbook, Emergency War Surgery, takes a bulleted manual style in order to optimize its use as a rapid reference. Drafted by subspecialty experts, it was then updated by surgeons returned from yearlong deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. A collaborative effort of the Borden Institute and the AMEDD Center & School, this Handbook is an essential tool for the management of forward combat trauma.

PREFACE
It is time for another revision of the Emergency War Surgery (EWS) handbook! In addition to the fundamental advances in the management of victims of trauma since the 1988 edition, the format of the earlier versions was distinctly “user unfriendly.”

This edition contains new material that updates the management of war wounds and is filled with over 150 specially drawn illustrations. Equally important is the use of an outline, bulleted format that is so much more concise than the verbosity of the previous editions.

Additionally, emphasis in this edition is on the all-important “Emergency” in Emergency War Surgery—surgery performed at levels II and III —that constitutes the raison d’être for military surgery. Our intent is that if given a choice of bringing a single book on a rapid or prolonged deployment, today’s military surgeon would choose this edition over any other trauma book.

The last revision of the Emergency War Surgery handbook was published in 1988. Since then, world events have profoundly affected how the US Armed Forces fight and how their medical services provide combat casualty care. The threat of a massive conventional war with the Soviet Union has been replaced by a new enemy: those who espouse global terrorism. ...

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FORWARD
It is an honor for me to acknowledge the time, efforts, and experience collected in this third revision of Emergency War Surgery. Once again a team of volunteers representing the Military Health System and numerous clinical specialties has committed itself to delimiting state-of-the-art principles and practices of forward trauma surgery.

War surgery, and treatment of combat casualties at far forward locations and frequently under austere conditions,
continue to save lives. Military medical personnel provide outstanding health support to those serving in harm’s way.

As the face of war continues to evolve, so must the practice of medicine, to support those who so selflessly fight the global war on terrorism. Today, American military men and women face a new terrain of mobile urban terrorism and conflict.

Despite advances in personal and force protection provided to our forces, they remain vulnerable to blast wounds, burns, and multiple penetrating injuries not usually encountered in the traditional civilian setting. This publication expertly addresses the appropriate medical management of these and other battle and nonbattle injuries.

The editors of this edition are to be congratulated for drawing on the experiences of numerous colleagues recently returned from tours of duty in Southwest Asia in order to provide as current a handbook as possible.

I wish to publicly extend my gratitude, and that of the American people, to the courageous men and women who serve in the medical departments of our Armed Services. I commend your dedicated service and acknowledge your sacrifices, and those of your families, to provide the best health care attainable to those who protect our nation by their military service. I, and all Americans, are indebted to your service.

William Winkenwerder, Jr., MD
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs

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