ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the deployed head and neck capability during Operations Telic and Herrick. The head and neck is a complex anatomical region, with no one surgical specialty having precedence in the forward operational environment. The high incidence of head, face, neck and ophthalmic injuries during Operations Telic and Herrick made research into ways of reducing the burden of such injuries in future conflicts essential. Surgeons have always been integral to the care of combat casualties with head and neck trauma. One of the most important concepts to be questioned during Operation Telic was the conventional ABC paradigm for trauma care. The establishment of the Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) capability was a revolution in military medical evacuation. The MERT composition was developed to include a second paramedic and consultant, or occasionally a senior trainee, with a background in emergency medicine, critical care or anaesthesia.
