U.S. Army Medical Department CenterCOMBAT LIFESAVER COURSE: MEDICAL TASKS

PHTLS: Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Military Edition consists of the PHTLS core content and features thirteen chapters written by military prehospital trauma care experts for practitioners in the military environment. PHTLS: Prehospital Trauma Life Support, Military Edition is created in partnership between the National Association of Emergency

A decade of intense combat in two theaters has taught us many lessons about what works and what does not in the effort to accomplish that all-important mission of saving lives in battle. A severely injured Soldier today has about twice the likelihood of surviving his wounds compared to Soldiers in wars as recent as Vietnam. That progress is the result of many things: better tactics and weapons, better body armor and helmets, better trained and fitter Soldiers. But, the introduction of tactical combat casualty care (TCCC) throughout the Army has certainly been an important part of that improvement. TCCC is fundamentally different from civilian care. It is the thoughtful integration of tactics and medicine, but to make it work takes a different set of skills and equipment, and every Soldier and leader needs to understand it and practice it. This handbook is the result of years of careful study of the care of wounded Soldiers, painstaking research by medics and physicians, and the ability of leaders at all levels to see and understand the lessons being learned and the willingness to make the changes in equipment, training, and doctrine needed to improve the performance of the Army Health System. It is the best guidance we have at the time of publication, but new information, new techniques, or new equipment will drive changes in the future. Be assured that these performance improvement efforts will continue as long as American Soldiers go in harm’s way.

Modern combat is chaotic, intense, and shockingly destructive. In your first battle, you will experience the confusing and often terrifying sights, sounds, smells, and dangers of the battlefield--but you must learn to survive and win despite them. You could face a fierce and relentless enemy. You could be surrounded by destruction and death. Your leaders and fellow soldiers may shout urgent commands and warnings. Rounds might impact near you. The air could be filled with the smell of explosives and propellant. You might hear the screams of a wounded comrade. However, even in all this confusion and fear, remember that you are not alone. You are part of a well-trained team, backed by the most powerful combined arms force, and the most modern technology in the world. You must keep faith with your fellow Soldiers, remember your training, and do your duty to the best of your ability. If you do, and you uphold your Warrior Ethos, you can win and return home with honor. Subjects covered include: -Individual Readiness -Combat Care and Preventative Medicine -Environmental Conditions -Cover, Concealment, and Camouflage -Fighting Positions -Movement -Urban Areas -Combat Marksmanship -Communications -Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape

Advances in trauma care have accelerated over the past decade, spurred by the significant burden of injury from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Between 2005 and 2013, the case fatality rate for United States service members injured in Afghanistan decreased by nearly 50 percent, despite an increase in the severity of injury among U.S. troops during the same period of time. But as the war in Afghanistan ends, knowledge and advances in trauma care developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) over the past decade from experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq may be lost. This would have implications for the quality of trauma care both within the DoD and in the civilian setting, where adoption of military advances in trauma care has become increasingly common and necessary to improve the response to multiple civilian casualty events. Intentional steps to codify and harvest the lessons learned within the military's trauma system are needed to ensure a ready military medical force for future combat and to prevent death from survivable injuries in both military and civilian systems. This will require partnership across military and civilian sectors and a sustained commitment from trauma system leaders at all levels to assure that the necessary knowledge and tools are not lost. A National Trauma Care System defines the components of a learning health system necessary to enable continued improvement in trauma care in both the civilian and the military sectors. This report provides recommendations to ensure that lessons learned over the past decade from the military's experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq are sustained and built upon for future combat operations and translated into the U.S. civilian system.

FM 21-11 1943: Basic field manual, first aid for soldiers.(OBSOLETE) "The purpose of this manual is to teach the soldier what he can do for himself or a fellow soldier if injury or sickness occurs when no medical officer or Medical Department soldier is nearby. Information is also given concerning the use of certain supplies which are for the purpose of helping to keep well. This field manual addresses wounds, fractures/dislocations/ sprains, common emergencies and health measures, effects of severe cold and heat, measures for use in the jungle/tropics and in aircraft and tank injuries, transportation of sick and injured, war gases, and description and uses of first-aid kits and packets.

This is the official manual from the U.S. military is a subcourse book used to train combat medics. Combat medics on today's battlefield experience a wide variety of conditions not previously experienced. The training on the standards that apply to the civilian emergency medical service (EMS) world may not apply to the combat environment. The U.S. Army found the need to migrate away from the civilian standards and allow the combat medics to analyze situations in ways not previously thought of. These techniques are called "combat casualty care." Factors influencing combat casualty care include the following: Enemy Fire Medical Equipment Limitations A Widely Variable Evacuation Time Tactical Considerations Casualty Transportation When you have casualties on the battlefield, you must determine the sequence in which the casualties are to be treated and how to treat their injuries. This subscourse discusses the procedures for performing tactical combat casualty care; treating injuries to the extremities, chest, abdominal, and head; and controlling shock. This subcourse consists of eight lessons: Tactical Combat Casualty Care Controlling Bleeding from an Extremity Treating Chest Injuries Treating Abdominal Injuries Treating Head Injuries Treating Burns Treating Hypovolemic Shock Treating Soft Tissue Injuries Tactical Combat Casualty Care and Wound Treatment is a highly regarded and up-to-date manual offered by the Department of Defense. It is available to combat medics and civilians who want to learn the critical medical treatments to be administered in adverse conditions.