Military surgery and field surgical care in the Czech Army

Abstract

Military surgery is one of the basic branches of military medicine. It is based on the principles of surgery performed in peacetime, but is significantly different when performed under specific conditions. The aim of the article is to describe these differences and present the current state of providing surgical care in the field in the Czech Army. Medical support in the field, or the treatment and evacuation system of medical services of the armies of NATO member countries, is organized on four levels, matched by medical facilities designated as Role 1−4. Surgical care in the field usually takes place at the level of Role 2 and Role 3. While in the conditions of a foreign military mission, surgical treatment aims to achieve a definitive standard, in a typical war conflict the only goal is to save life and limb and prepare casualties for further evacuation. Additionally, triage of the wounded is an important part of health care in the field at individual levels, the importance of which increases especially in the case of mass casualties. In the military medical service of the Army of the Czech Republic, goals are defined as part of the construction and development of capabilities, which should expand and reinforce the current potential of providing surgical care in the field – currently encompassing two field hospitals capable of Role 2 or 3. The ambitious plan to construct additional field medical elements is difficult to achieve in the expected time horizon and, in addition, it also faces a significant shortage of military surgeons due to the planned scope of capacity increase. Despite all the objective difficulties, however, Czech military surgeons have a high credit in the eyes of the NATO allies, gained during the deployment of the Czech field hospital or of the Czech field surgical team within multinational military units