In this episode of Frontline Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma, hosts Dr. Joshua Dilday and Dr. Rachel Russo are joined by Dr. Frank Butler and Dr. John Holcomb, to examine one of the most consequential shifts in battlefield medicine: tourniquet reassessment and conversion in the era of prolonged evacuation. The episode traces the evolution of tourniquet use from its controversial origins in TCCC to the hard lessons now emerging from the Russo-Ukrainian war, where contested airspace, drone threats, and ground evacuation timelines of six hours or more have fundamentally changed the risk-benefit calculus of leaving a tourniquet on.

The panel is direct: up to 75% of tourniquets applied in the field are not medically necessary in hindsight, and with prolonged evacuation now the norm rather than the exception, unnecessary tourniquet time is costing limbs and lives. The message is not to stop using tourniquets but to use them smarter, reassess them as soon as tactically possible, convert them within two hours when feasible, and never remove them after six hours without surgical backup. Dr. Butler also previews a new plain-language training package designed for non-medical service members, built on the principle that the knowledge is only as good as the person holding the tourniquet.

Literature Mentioned:
TCCC Quick-Look:What Kind of Bleeding Requires a Tourniquet?

TCCC Quick Look: Arterial Bleeding

From application to conversion: The development of a tourniquet reassessment algorithm for nonmedical military personnel by a North Atlantic Treaty Organization specialist team

In this episode of Frontline Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, host Dr. Joshua Dilday and Dr. Rachel Russo are joined by Dr. Valerie Sams and Dr. Geoffrey Anderson to discuss Critical Care Air Transport Teams (CCAT) and their essential role in moving critically injured casualties across the theater of operations and back home. From the origins of the CCAT concept to its evolution through the global war on terror, the episode covers how a three-person team of physician, nurse, and respiratory therapist delivers full-spectrum ICU care, including ECMO and continuous renal replacement therapy, at altitude and across oceans.

The conversation tackles the realities of sustainment and readiness for both active duty and reserve CCAT teams, the physiologic and operational stressors of flight that no simulation can fully replicate, and how task saturation demands flexibility from every member of the team. With LISCO on the horizon and evacuation timelines expected to lengthen in contested environments, the episode makes clear that CCAT is not simply transportation. It is an extension of the trauma care system itself, and understanding it is essential for every military surgeon preparing patients for the next phase of survival.

In this episode of Frontline Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, hosts Dr. Joshua Dilday and Dr. Jeff Connor are joined by Dr. Mary Ford, infectious disease expert and the podcast's first non-surgeon guest, to tackle one of the most persistent threats in combat casualty care: battlefield infections. From contaminated blast wounds at the point of injury to multi-drug resistant organisms acquired along the evacuation chain, the episode breaks down why infection risk evolves at every stage of care and why what is in the wound on day one looks very different from what threatens the patient on day ten.

Dr. Ford walks through the spectrum of pathogens surgeons will encounter, the growing threat of invasive fungal infections in blast trauma, and why the fundamentals of infection prevention including hand hygiene and bundle-based care remain the most powerful tools available even in austere environments. The episode closes with clear takeaways for deploying surgeons: prevention is key, common things are common, operate early and often, and advocate at the command level because that is where the standards are set and where they fall apart.

In this episode of Front Line Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, hosts Drs. Jeff Conner and Jay Yelon are joined by Drs. Matt Martin and Luke Neff to discuss the critical aspects of pediatric trauma care in a deployed military setting. They emphasize the importance of preparation, improvisation, and understanding the unique challenges faced when treating children in trauma situations. Key topics include initial assessment, resuscitation techniques, vascular access, damage control resuscitation, hypothermia management, and surgical approaches to hemorrhage control. The conversation also highlights the need for military surgeons to be equipped with pediatric supplies and knowledge to effectively care for injured children in combat zones.

Keywords: pediatric trauma, military surgery, resuscitation, vascular access, damage control, hypothermia management, surgical techniques, deployment preparation

Literature:
ACS M Curriculum: Pediatric Surgery Module

In this episode of Front Line Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, hosts Drs. Joshua Dilday and Matt Eckert engage with COL Jennifer Gurney, MD, to explore the critical role of military communication and lingo in trauma care. The conversation dives into the operational challenges surgeons face when translating medical realities into terms commanders can act upon. COL Gurney shares insights from her multiple deployments on learning to “speak two languages”—medical and operational—and how credibility, clarity, and humility are vital for bridging the gap between surgical expertise and command decision-making.

Keywords: Military communication, operational lingo, trauma surgery leadership, combat casualty care, bridging medical and operational language, credibility in military medicine, risk communication, surgeon preparation, military command relationships, surgical mentorship

Literature:
Front Line Surgery: A Practical Approach

In this episode of Frontline Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, Drs. Joshua Dilday and Jeff Conner are joined by COL (ret) John Holcomb, MD to examine how modern drone warfare is reshaping battlefield injury patterns and the challenges facing deployed trauma teams. Drawing on recent experience working alongside Ukrainian clinicians and multinational partners, Dr. Holcomb discusses the evolving mechanisms of injury associated with drone-delivered explosives and the operational realities of providing care in contested environments.

The conversation explores how fragment injuries from aerial munitions are producing different anatomic injury patterns compared with previous conflicts, including increased head, neck, and upper extremity trauma. Dr. Holcomb highlights the importance of understanding mechanisms of injury, recognizing blast-related complications such as tympanic membrane rupture and traumatic brain injury, and managing patients with extensive fragment wounds.

The episode also addresses the operational constraints affecting casualty evacuation and resuscitation timelines in drone-dominated battlefields. With evacuation delays ranging from hours to significantly longer, frontline teams must adapt their approach to hemorrhage control, resuscitation, and resource management. Dr. Holcomb emphasizes that preparation for these environments requires both clinical readiness and system-level training, noting that high-volume trauma experience and strong team coordination remain essential for military medical teams preparing for deployment.

Keywords: Blast Injury, Drone Warfare, Military Trauma Care, Fragment Injuries, Combat Casualty Care, Damage Control Resuscitation, Battlefield Evacuation, Trauma Systems, Military Surgery, Austere Trauma Care

In this episode of Frontline Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, Col (ret) Jeremy Cannon, MD joins hosts Drs. Joshua Dilday and Rachel Russo to break down the realities of managing a mass casualty (MASCAL) event. The discussion focuses on battlefield triage systems, including the 10-second triage tool, priority categorization (P1, P2, P3, expectant), and rapid decision-making under extreme resource constraints, limited blood supply, and uncertain evacuation timelines.

Key topics include damage control surgery, hemorrhage control, tourniquet application, TCCC principles, walking blood bank activation, junctional and torso trauma prioritization, resuscitative thoracotomy decision thresholds, prolonged field care considerations, and blood product logistics. Dr. Cannon emphasizes the importance of a designated triage officer, patient accountability systems (PAD tracking), communication roles, and maintaining situational awareness during combat casualty surges.

The episode also explores military–civilian trauma system integration, disaster preparedness exercises, leadership under pressure, expectant category decision-making, and the emotional and ethical challenges of battlefield surgery. Preparation, rehearsal, shared mental models, and disciplined surgical leadership are highlighted as essential to optimizing survival in high-acuity combat trauma and mass casualty scenarios

Keywords:
mass casualty, trauma surgery, military medicine, triage, leadership, combat casualty care, surgical skills, resource management

Literature Mentioned:
Front Line Surgery: A Practical Approach
Ten Second Triage Tool
Disaster Management and Emergency Preparedness Course
STOP THE BLEED Program

In this episode of Frontline Surgery: Mastering Military Trauma Care, hosts Drs. Rachel Russo and Jay Yelon discuss the critical aspects of military burn care with Colonel (ret.) Lee Cancio, MD, a leading expert in the field. The conversation covers essential topics such as the preparation for managing burns in deployed settings, the principles of burn resuscitation, the importance of situational awareness, and the necessity of effective wound care. Dr. Cancio emphasizes the challenges faced by surgeons in resource-limited environments and the need for teamwork in providing optimal care. The discussion also touches on the potential for increased burn injuries in future conflicts and the importance of triage in managing casualties effectively.

Keywords: military trauma care, burn care, battlefield injuries, resuscitation, wound management, surgical training, emergency care, military medicine, trauma surgery, surgery

Literature Mentioned:
ACS M Curriculum - Burn Module
ABLS: https://www.ameriburn.org/burn-care-team/education/advance-career/abls
ABLS NOW: https://www.pathlms.com/american-burn-association