PREVIOUS wars have demonstrated that approximately 1% of all battle casualties suffer damage to a major artery. Furthermore, of all amputations done on war wounded, 20% are the direct result of vascular injuries.1
The purpose of this study has been to assess the feasibility and value of primary repair to arterial wounds at the time of the initial definitive treatment at the forward field hospitals. This is therefore a report of results of primary repair at the mobile Army surgical hospitals, 8055 Army unit and 8209 Army unit, during the period from April through September, 1952.
Prior to the time of this study, many major arteries had been ligated. During the period mentioned above, only two patients, in whose care we participated, had a major artery ligated. These two patients could not be resuscitated sufficiently to permit a major operation. Both patients had ligations, and both survived. The first