Changes to Trauma-Related Tactical Gear

Tactical gear extends beyond weapons, communications equipment, and carrying cases to medical and trauma supplies. Crucial equipment on the battlefield, tactical gear for addressing injuries is given to soldiers, and Army Combat Support Hospitals (CSHs) need to have the appropriate supplies on hand for treating casualties. Both aspects of trauma care, however, have been going through changes as the result of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and past conflicts.
A proposal to redesign CSH features is in the works, according to August 7 piece "Combat Support Hospitals May Get New Look" in the Army Times. Overall changes would include greater surgical capabilities and the ability to operate in multiple locations. The final stop before casualties are airlifted out for advanced or long-term care, CSH presently uses 248 beds and is not configured to be split into multiple units in different locations. As an adaptation to the demands of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, however, CSHs were divided into two to five locations.
In addition to 240 beds, the new CSH would be designed with mix and match features based on demands. The new CSH, if approved, would have two identical Early Entry Hospital Elements (EEHE) with increased trauma care capabilities, such as an operating room with two tables, four surgical specialists, a CT scanner, and pre- and post-operation capabilities; a surgical expansion could also be added. Aside from increased features for EEHEs, CSH would have medical expansion with ICU and intermediate care ward capabilities, two 60-bed hospital expansion units, specialty augmentation teams for specialized care, and authorization for 534 personnel. In addressing trauma needs, commanders will be able to add surgical capabilities. If the proposed design is approved, the changes for CSH would go into effect in 2014.
Casualty demands from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, as well as past wars, show that more than medic personnel need to be knowledgeable about trauma care and equipment, and as a result, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) has been employed by the Army Rangers. A strategy for soldiers to tend to their injuries on the battlefield, TCCC is based on studies from casualties of previous wars, when only physicians and medics were responsible for care, and has three objectives: treat patients, prevent further casualties, and complete the mission. To enforce these three points, TCCC involves training all military personnel on basic trauma care and supplying them with appropriate tactical gear, including kits with pressure dressings, tourniquets, and other lifesaving supplies. All tactical gear and training assists soldiers with addressing severe bleeding, tension pneumothorax, and airway obstruction on the battlefield.