JBJS | From the Frontlines to the Home Front: The Crucial Role of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons*

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Volume 91, Issue 4

The Orthopaedic Forum | April 01, 2009

From the Frontlines to the Home Front: The Crucial Role of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons^*

Captain D.C. Covey¹

¹ Medical Corps, United States Navy, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Naval Medical Center, 34800 Bob Wilson Drive, San Diego, CA 92134. E-mail address: dana.covey@med.navy.mil

The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 2009; 91:998-1006 doi:10.2106/JBJS.G.01287

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Approximately 33,000 American service members have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past six years¹. Providing treatment as soon as possible after injury has saved lives and preserved optimal function for most of the personnel wounded in the conflicts. Forward surgical teams have performed this life and limb-saving work. Orthopaedic surgeons are essential members of these teams because the majority of service members who are wounded in action sustain musculoskeletal injuries². From the onset of the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, orthopaedic surgeons from the Army, Navy, and Air Force have served in the surgical units providing this care. These facilities range in size from two-surgeon resuscitative surgical teams near forward combat operations (Figs. 1-A and 1-B) to sophisticated field hospitals (Fig. 2)³. Continuously manning these battlefield surgical teams and caring for the large numbers of service members with musculoskeletal injuries have created many logistic and personnel challenges for the armed forces.

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military personnel ; wars ; wounds and injuries ; iraq

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Accreditation Statement

These activities have been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

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