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Management of Paediatric Trauma in an Austere Environment

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Ballistic Trauma

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Abstract

The Uppsala Conflict Data Programme held by Uppsala university reported 149 state and non-state conflicts worldwide in 2015, with over 118,000 deaths [1]. By inference, humanitarian, training, and peacekeeping missions are necessary to provide medical support to those injured in these conflicts. The presence of such military medical facilities will inevitably create pressure to provide emergency medical treatment for children and other civilians. This is exacerbated by the destabilising effects of conflict on local healthcare systems, which may arise from destruction of facilities, lack of supplies, or lack of trained staff. Such systems may also have limited resources to begin with, and the additional workload and resource requirement may prove unmanageable. It is difficult to deny the devastated parents, presenting with a grotesquely injured child, the possibility of treatment. Regardless of the intended mission, medical teams working in conflict areas therefore need to be prepared to manage paediatric trauma safely, and effectively.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Paediatrics, Royal Hospital for Children, 1345 Govan Road, Glasgow, G51 4TF, UK

    William Tremlett

  2. Academic Department of Military Surgery and Trauma, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Birmingham Research Park, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, UK

    Johno Breeze

  3. Department of Paediatric Surgery, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH, UK

    G. Suren Arul

Authors
  1. William Tremlett
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  2. Johno Breeze
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  3. G. Suren Arul
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Suren Arul .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham , Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    John Breeze

  2. Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, United Kingdom

    Jowan G. Penn-Barwell

  3. Department Military Anaesthesia, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine Institute Research & Development, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Damian Keene

  4. University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom

    David O'Reilly

  5. Academic Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine Birmingham Research Park, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Jeyasankar Jeyanathan

  6. Department Military Anaesthesia, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine Institute Research & Development, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Peter F. Mahoney

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Tremlett, W., Breeze, J., Suren Arul, G. (2017). Management of Paediatric Trauma in an Austere Environment. In: Breeze, J., Penn-Barwell, J., Keene, D., O'Reilly, D., Jeyanathan, J., Mahoney, P. (eds) Ballistic Trauma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61364-2_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61364-2_23

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-61363-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-61364-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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