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Death caused by trauma is a major social problem in both the military and the civilian world. The goal is to reduce injuries and deaths to acceptable limits. Thus, healthcare providers should have the necessary information on trauma and resuscitation and be aware of current principles of approach to trauma patients. Early life-saving procedures in the trauma setting, damage control surgeries performed by an advanced line of surgical teams, and improvement in medical evacuation systems provide effective treatment in trauma casualties and reduce the mortality rate. Significant changes have occurred recently in the treatment of trauma cases. In our study, we aimed to search the literature in order to describe the principles of proper medical approach, to review the operational strategies recommended in the field and to develop a consensus to the extent possible.

The fragmentation impact of high-velocity bullets penetrating the body after piercing through the magazines carried by soldiers was investigated experimentally. In this study, 16 pigs and 7.62x51-mm full metal jacket bullets were used. Pigs were assigned into two groups, and within 5 minutes of their being sacrificed with overdose anesthesia, bullets were fired into the first group on which magazines were placed and into the second group on which magazines were not placed, targeting abdominal left lower quadrant. It was found that in pigs not carrying magazines, all bullets pierced through the pig; bullets were not fragmented. However, in pigs with magazines, common fragmentation in bullets and multiple organ perforations occurred. It was concluded that magazines caused the bullets to be fragmented, increasing tissue and organ damage.