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It is accepted that so long as men and women are sent into combat, some will be wounded or killed. In order to minimize those that are killed, efforts must be made to optimize medical treatment for those who are not fatally wounded. The nature of warfare is changing. The pattern of wounding is changing as well. However, what remains constant is the need to provide effective treatment as soon as possible. In war, it means acting at the level of the battlefield. To be effective demands new approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Novel diagnostic tools are needed to identify location of foreign bodies, determine extents of injury, monitor vital signs, and ascertain adequacy of resuscitation. Treatment devices that can provide hemostasis, support organ perfusion, stabilize limbs and neck and relieve a pneumothorax are lacking. Our young soldiers of tomorrow need solutions to their injuries today.
Ling et al. (Tue,) studied this question.