{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,14]],"date-time":"2026-02-14T11:41:29Z","timestamp":1771069289558,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J R Army Med Corps"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The deployment of 16 Air Assault Brigade to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in April-October 2006 was supported by a two\n-surgeon Field Surgical Team (FST) embedded within a 25 bed medical facility. We report the summative operative experience of the FST in order to analyse workload, case-mix and outline future training requirements. Within this period, 138 patients underwent 255 theatre episodes and 322 surgical procedures. 106 of the 138 patients requiring surgery were battle-injured.\nSurgical procedures undertaken involved wound excision (95), major amputation (9), laparotomy (9), application of externalfixation\/\nskeletal traction (6), thoracotomy (4), plaster application (6), dural repair (2), and one tracheostomy with 13 other procedures. Procedures undertaken at subsequent surgery included delayed primary closure (65), split skin graft (7), wound excision (5), tendon repair (3) and 32 others. Complications included two patients with delayed reactionary haemorrhage \/\npost-surgical bleeding requiring re-operation. There was one in-hospital death. Thirty-two patients underwent surgery to treat disease or non-battle injury (DNBI), including 9 patients with major burns who required 26 procedures for burn excision and primary skin grafting. Many of the operations required the deployed team to operate outside of their normal NHS comfort zone. The experiences and lessons learnt and re-learnt by this surgical team should be part of our institutional memory.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/jramc-154-01-05","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2013,3,19]],"date-time":"2013-03-19T19:43:32Z","timestamp":1363722212000},"page":"14-18","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":23,"title":["Forward Trauma Surgery in Afghanistan: Lessons Learnt on the Modern Asymmetric Battlefield"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"154","author":[{"given":"N","family":"Tai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Field Surgical Team, 16 Close Support Medical Regiment, BMH Helmand, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"P","family":"Hill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Field Surgical Team, 16 Close Support Medical Regiment, BMH Helmand, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"A","family":"Kay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Field Surgical Team, 16 Close Support Medical Regiment, BMH Helmand, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paul","family":"Parker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Field Surgical Team, 16 Close Support Medical Regiment, BMH Helmand, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2008,3,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"155","article-title":"The experience of the US Marine Corps\u2019 surgical shock trauma platoon with 417 operative combat casualties during","volume":"60","author":"Chambers, L.W.; Green, D.J.; Gillingham, B.L.","year":"2006","unstructured":"Chambers LW, Green DJ, Gillingham BL et al. The experience of the US Marine Corps\u2019 surgical shock trauma platoon with 417 operative combat casualties during a 12 month period of operation Iraqi Freedom. J Trauma 2006 60:155-1164.","journal-title":"Iraqi Freedom. J Trauma"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"13","article-title":"A profile of combat injury","volume":"4","author":"Champion, H.R.; Bellamy, R.F.; Roberts, P.; Leppaniemi, A.","year":"2003","unstructured":"Champion HR, Bellamy RF, Roberts P, Leppaniemi A. A profile of combat injury. J Trauma 2003 S4:S13-19.","journal-title":"J Trauma"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"637","DOI":"10.1002\/bjs.4911","article-title":"Penetrating missile injuries during asymmetric warfare in the 2003 Gulf conflict","volume":"92","author":"Hinsley, D.E.; Rosell, P.A.E.; Rowlands, T.K.","year":"2005","unstructured":"Hinsley DE, Rosell PAE, Rowlands TK et al. Penetrating missile injuries during asymmetric warfare in the 2003 Gulf conflict. 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