Page 102 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Winter 2016

An Ongoing Series

Prolonged Field Care for the Winter 2016 Edition

Sean Keenan, MD

s the winter months approach, the community has with an introduction to the Virtual Critical Care Con-
A expanded the offerings in regard to Prolonged Field sultation (VC3) service. This educational case series
Care (PFC) submissions. This issue marks a landmark highlights actual cases managed in the field and the
for the PFC Working Group (WG), with submissions benefit of clinical consultation from SOF Operators to
from multiple unique efforts that sprung from the origi- the expert consultation staff at military medical centers.
nal PFC WG analysis of PFC capabilities and knowledge By informing the community of the practical applica-
gaps in the force. By communicating the needs of Special tion of teleconsultation, we hope to not only advertise
Operations Forces (SOF) to the greater Department of the service but also highlight the utility of this powerful
Defense medical infrastructure, USSOCOM was able to capability.
harness the talents of medical subspecialists to directly
support and, ultimately, enhance the resources for SOF We also have a case report from the field of a presenta-
Medics in the field. tion of combat trauma that morphed from a “typical”
TCCC scenario into a complex case involving PFC. This
Included in this edition is a second Clinical Practice case adroitly illustrates the operational constraints and
Guideline (CPG), authored by the Joint Trauma System challenges of direct combat on patient management and
medical experts, in conjunction with operational SOF serves as a reminder of the realities of combat.
authors, for the practical management of burn casu-
alties in austere environments. Based on the expertise We hope that you find these articles informative and
and framework of the original surgical CPG for burn useful, as both teaching tools and reference documents.
management, this CPG blends best practices from the If you have clinical cases that demonstrate the complexi-
Institute of Surgical Research Burn Unit, with other PFC ties of a PFC environment or highlight the advanced ap-
CPGs and guideline papers, to provide practical, realis- plication of SOF medicine, please submit them to the
tic tools to SOF medics. We hope it will inform current Editor to include in future editions of the Journal.
protocols and teaching in the community.
Thank you for your continued interest, and joining us in
Additionally, we have the beginning of a relevant series this exciting effort to advance SOF medicine!
from our first “Sub-Working Group” in telemedicine,

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