The U.S. military wartime pediatric trauma mission: how surgeons and pediatricians are adapting the system to address the need.

Purpose: Over 3,500 infants and children, many critically ill and injured, have been admitted to military combat support hospitals (CSH) in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are not doctrinally staffed or equipped to provide their care. This report details how the military medical system is adapting to create a data driven and comprehensive response to optimize the medical and surgical pediatric care being provided.

Methods: Information from multiple sources was used over time to craft the military medical response to the pediatric wartime mission.