Advances in Anesthesia Delivery in the Deployed Setting

Lessons learned over the past decade and a half of combat casualty management has brought about numerous advances in trauma anesthesia practice. In the post-Vietnam era, deployable anesthesia equipment centered on the capability to provide a balanced anesthetic technique, utilizing a combination of volatile gas and intravenous anesthetic adjuncts. The evolution of the modern battlefield has forced anesthesia providers across the military to adapt to mission requirements that often dictate a surgical capability that is more rapidly mobile and less reliant on logistical support. Institutional medical equipment development has focused on fielding a lighter, more mobile volatile gas delivery method. Despite numerous advances in anesthetic gas delivery, many veteran anesthesia providers have come to recognize the value of alternative anesthetic techniques in the deployed setting. One of the most appealing advances in combat anesthesia practice is the emergence of total intravenous anesthetics (TIVA) for trauma management and resuscitation. Although there have been numerous developments in anesthetic equipment for use in the deployed setting, TIVA has many advantages over volatile gas administration. Future research, development, and education should focus on TIVA and the ability to provide this as an alternative safe anesthetic for patients in austere environments. It is imperative to retain the lessons we have learned in order to adapt more effectively in future conflicts. This accumulation of knowledge must inform future innovative solutions to the challenges of casualty management in a deployed setting.