Vascular trauma historical notes.

This article provides a brief historical review of treatment of vascular trauma. Although methods for ligation came into use in the second century, this knowledge was lost during the Dark Ages and did not come back until the Renaissance. Many advances in vascular surgery occurred during the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II, although without antibiotics and blood banking, the philosophy of life over limb still ruled. Documenting and repairing both arteries and veins became more common during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Increased documentation has revealed that the current conflicts have resulted in more arterial injuries than in previous wars, likely because of improved body armor, improvised explosive device attacks, tourniquet use, and improved medical evacuation time. This brief review emphasizes the great value of mentorship and the legacy of the management of arterial and venous injuries to be passed on.