Perspective

From the War Zone to the United States

Caring for the Wounded in Iraq — A Photo Essay

George E. Peoples, M.D., James R. Jezior, M.D., and Craig D. Shriver, M.D.

N Engl J Med 2004; 351:2476-2480December 9, 2004

Article

Slide Show

Caring for the Wounded in Iraq — A Photo Essay

274th Forward Surgical Team (FST) loaded into six Humvees with trailers in Iraq.

Chemical and biologic protective shelter, which can be inflated in 15 minutes and used as an operating room.

General surgery backpack and anesthesia backpack, two of the five packs containing the rapid-response surgical system.

Typical FST operating room in a “drash” tent with two portable tables.

Radiograph of mangled leg from blast injury.

Typical large-fragment wound of the leg.

A common type of injury associated with roadside improvised explosive device run over by a Humvee.

Typical pattern of injury among soldiers wearing Kevlar vests to protect the chest and abdomen.

Blast injury from exploding ordnance.

High-energy gunshot wound to the abdomen, passing through the liver.

Radiograph of distal femur mangled by large fragment.

High-energy gunshot wound passing through the knee.

Preparation of a patient for air evacuation.

CCAT team transporting a patient.

CH47 helicopter with Critical Care Air Transport (CCAT) team picking up a casualty for transport.

28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) in Iraq.

Surgical teams at work in CSH operating room.

Damage-control laparotomy with temporary abdominal closure — serially closed at WRAMC to prevent long-term ventral hernia and need for skin grafting.

Transpelvic gunshot wound requiring pelvic packing, diverting colostomy, and temporary abdominal closure.

CCAT team that transports patients from Iraq to the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, and from there to Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington, D.C.

Wounded soldier receiving rehabilitation care at WRAMC.

Source Information

From the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.

Citing Articles (9)

Citing Articles

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   Trevor S Brown, Shawn Safford, Janet Caramanica, Eric A Elster. (2010) Biomarker use in tailored combat casualty care. Biomarkers in Medicine 4:3, 465-473
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   Edward R. Utz, Eric A. Elster, Douglas K. Tadaki, Frederick Gage, Philip W. Perdue, Jonathan A. Forsberg, Alexander Stojadinovic, Jason S. Hawksworth, Trevor S. Brown. (2010) Metalloproteinase Expression is Associated with Traumatic Wound Failure. Journal of Surgical Research 159:2, 633-639
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   Jason S. Hawksworth, Alexander Stojadinovic, Frederick A. Gage, Doug K. Tadaki, Philip W. Perdue, Jonathan Forsberg, Thomas A. Davis, James R. Dunne, John W. Denobile, Trevor S. Brown, Eric A. Elster. (2009) Inflammatory Biomarkers in Combat Wound Healing. Annals of Surgery 250:6, 1002-1007
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   Robin B. McFee. (2008) Gulf War Servicemen and Servicewomen: The Long Road Home and the Role of Health Care Professionals to Enhance the Troops' Health and Healing. Disease-a-Month 54:5, 265-333
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   Heather Shover. (2007) Understanding the Chain of Communication During a Disaster. Perspectives In Psychiatric Care 43:1, 4-14
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   Brian J. Eastridge, Donald Jenkins, Stephen Flaherty, Henry Schiller, John B. Holcomb. (2006) Trauma System Development in a Theater of War: Experiences From Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care 61:6, 1366-1373
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   Naomi E. Aronson, John W. Sanders, Kimberly A. Moran. (2006) Emerging Infections: In Harm’s Way: Infections in Deployed American Military Forces. Clinical Infectious Diseases 43:8, 1045-1051
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   Brian J. Eastridge, Jimmie Owsley, James Sebesta, Alec Beekley, Charles Wade, Robert Wildzunas, Peter Rhee, John Holcomb. (2006) Admission Physiology Criteria After Injury on the Battlefield Predict Medical Resource Utilization and Patient Mortality. The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care 61:4, 820-823
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   Alexander Stojadinovic, Alyson Auton, George E. Peoples, Geselle M. McKnight, Cynthia Shields, Scott M. Croll, Lisa L. Bleckner, James Winkley, Mary E. Maniscalco-Theberge, Chester C. Buckenmaier. (2006) Responding to Challenges in Modern Combat Casualty Care: Innovative Use of Advanced Regional Anesthesia. Pain Medicine 7:4, 330-338
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