• Amanda M Staudt, Shelia C Savell, Kimberly A Biever, Jennifer D Trevino, Krystal K Valdez-Delgado, Mithun Suresh, Jennifer M Gurney, Stacy A Shackelford, Joseph K Maddry, and Elizabeth A Mann-Salinas.
• Amanda M. Staudt serves as an epidemiologist, Jennifer D. Trevino is a program manager, Krystal K. Valdez-Delgado is a research nurse coordinator, and COL Elizabeth A. Mann-Salinas is the Task Area Manager for the Systems of Care for Complex Patients Task Area at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, Texas.
• Crit Care Nurse. 2018 Apr 1; 38 (2): e7-e15.

BackgroundEn route care is the transfer of patients requiring combat casualty care within the US military evacuation system. No reports have been published about en route care of patients during transfer from a forward surgical facility (role 2) to a combat support hospital (role 3) for comprehensive care.ObjectiveTo describe patients transferred from a role 2 to a role 3 US military treatment facility in Afghanistan.MethodsA retrospective review of data from the Joint Trauma System Role 2 Database was conducted. Patient characteristics were described by en route care medical attendants.ResultsMore than one-fourth of patients were intubated at transfer (26.9%), although at transfer fewer than 10% of patients had a base deficit of more than 5 (3.5%), a pH of less than 7.3 (5.2%), an international normalized ratio of more than 2 (0.8%), or temporary abdominal or chest closure (7.4%). The en route care medical attendant was most often a nurse (35.5%), followed by technicians (14.1%) and physicians (10.0%). Most patients (75.3%) were transported by medical evacuation (on rotary-wing aircraft).ConclusionThis is the first comprehensive review of patients transported from a forward surgical facility to a more robust combat support hospital in Afghanistan. Understanding the epidemiology of these patients will inform provider training and the appropriate skill mix for the transfer of postsurgical patients within a combat setting.©2018 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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