Table 1

Suggested skill sets required for treating military head, face, neck and eye injuries based on the papers identified in this study

Damage control surgery	Airway	Surgical cricothyroidotomy
	Haemorrhage	Neck access, packing, vessel ligation, vessel repair, scalp lacerations
	Eye injury	Lateral canthotomy and cantholysis
Acute in-theatre surgery (<24 hours)	Airway	Surgical tracheostomy
	Soft tissue injury	Debridement, cleaning and decontamination, packing, tension-free primary closure
	Bone injury	Stabilisation of grossly mobile facial bone fragments to protect the airway or control haemorrhage, debridement of open fractures to prevent infection, extraction of loose and damaged teeth to protect the airway
	Eye injury	Primary globe repair
	Brain injury	Limited decompressive craniectomy, debridement of penetrating wound, intracranial pressure monitoring*
Delayed in-theatre surgery (24 hours– 5 days)	Bone injury	Stabilisation of facial fractures using intermaxillary fixation, external fixation or internal fixation
	Soft tissue injury	Serial debridement, delayed primary closure, contextually appropriate reconstruction, only if no higher echelon available
	Eye injury	Delayed lateral canthotomy, evisceration, enucleation, eyelid repair
	Brain injury	Formal decompressive craniectomy