Safe burn excision prior to military repatriation: an achievable goal?

Burn excision is the gold standard treatment for full thickness and some deep partial thickness burns. Early burn excision (24-96 hours) has been shown to improve patient outcomes. However, in the military setting, transporting the patient to a centre which can provide this procedure can be delayed. Especially as control of airspace in the future may be hampered due to the political landscape. For this reason, focus on how to achieve safer burn excision prior to repatriation should be addressed. This paper considers the barriers to early burn excision in the military setting and offers potential solutions for the future.