Abstract
High velocity skull base injuries on the battlefield are unique in comparison to most
civilian sector trauma. With more than 43,000 United States military personnel injuries
during Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), the most recent
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have significantly expanded the understanding of
the physiology of modern battlefield trauma and how to appropriately address these
injuries. The acute care principles of effective triage, airway management, and hemorrhage
control in these injuries can be life saving and are reviewed here. Specific injury
patterns and battlefield examples are reviewed as well, with a review of some of the
lessons learned while providing care in a deployed setting. Utilization of the knowledge
learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have improved casualty care of deployed service
members, can be used both in future military conflicts and in civilian trauma care.
Keywords
battlefield injuries - skull base trauma
