Each role of care has unique approaches to the management of vascular injury.4

Role 1 / Role 2

Role 1 – Point of injury hemorrhage control with Tactical Combat Casualty Care principals: Pressure dressings, tourniquet placement, wound packing, etc. Initiation of evacuation and safe handoff.

Role 2 – Most surgical interventions at forward operating locations are ‘damage control’ to prioritize restoration of physiology over anatomy. Abbreviated (<1 hour) operations should focus on restoration of patient physiology, restoration of vascular flow, and focused on life and limb saving procedures. Early intervention on extremity vascular injuries is important and may make the difference in meaningful limb salvage. While physiology restoration is always the first stage of managing vascular injury +/- polytrauma, the future operating environment might require Role 2 surgical teams to embark on subsequent definitive care depending on the deployed trauma system.