Expeditionary Endovascular Trauma Care as a Core Capability for Future Large-Scale Conflicts.
Military Medicine · 2026-03-27 · Other / unclear
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Future large-scale and peer conflicts will occur across contested and dispersed environments where air evacuation is uncertain and medical units may operate in isolation for prolonged periods. In these conditions, uncontrolled hemorrhage will remain the leading cause of preventable death. Civilian trauma systems have demonstrated that endovascular and interventional radiology techniques achieve rapid hemorrhage control and organ preservation, yet forward military facilities often lack these capabilities. This review examines how embedding interventional radiologists within forward surgical teams can enhance combat casualty survival and medical resilience in the next war. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A narrative review of historical military experience, civilian trauma literature, and Department of War modernization efforts was conducted. Evidence was organized into five domains: historical evolution of imaging and intervention, civilian endovascular trauma outcomes, organ-specific endovascular repair, expeditionary integration models, and doctrinal requirements for future conflicts. RESULTS: Deployed experience in Iraq and Afghanistan proved that catheter-based hemorrhage control and endograft repair are feasible and lifesaving when imaging and expertise are co-located. Civilian data shows that early embolization achieves highly effective hemostasis in solid-organ and pelvic injuries while reducing transfusions and operative mortality. Modern portable fluoroscopy and handheld ultrasound systems now make these capabilities logistically achievable in Role 2 and Role 3 environments. The most significant barriers are doctrinal and personnel-related rather than technological. Integrating trained interventional radiologists into forward surgical elements ensures immediate vascular control, decompression, and image-guided repair at the point of injury. CONCLUSIONS: The next conflict will demand self-sufficient medical teams capable of definitive intervention without guaranteed evacuation. Deploying interventional radiologists with forward surgical teams transforms hemorrhage control from a delayed capability to an immediate, on-site function. These specialists bring procedural precision, imaging expertise, and team leadership that extend the reach of surgical and critical care capabilities. Formal doctrinal inclusion of interventional radiologists as part of expeditionary surgical elements is essential to reduce preventable deaths, preserve fighting strength, and ensure survival in modern warfare.
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Tags
Low- and middle-income settings · Military & tactical · Prehospital physicians
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