Emergency War Surgery NATO Handbook: Part III: General Considerations of Wound Management: Chapter XV: Anesthesia and Analgesia
United States Department of Defense
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Anesthesia personnel should prepare for mass casualty situations by becoming involved in the planning for such functions as staffing, organization, and logistical support for the triage/preoperative area. Attention to details such as adequate electrical and oxygen outlets, suction devices, emergency airways, and supplies of intravenous fluids is mandatory. When the initial influx of patients begins, anesthetists may assist in fluid resuscitation, airway management, ventilatory support, and other critical measures. Once these procedures are in progress, they must usually dedicate themselves to their areas of primary responsibility, the operating and recovery rooms.
The anesthesiologist must serve as a continuous resource and consultant to assure safe pre-, intra-, and postoperative care. A theater consultant in anesthesiology with on-site knowledge of patient care, who is informed by periodic reports specifically related to anesthesia problems, will make valuable contributions to the quality of care given.
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