Translating Lessons Learned in Peace and War: Preparing for New Reconstructive Challenges Sunday, October 18 Sun, Oct 18 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. CDT

The mission of military plastic surgeons to preserve life, limb, and function in high-acuity combat casualties requires a set of skills maintained both during peace time and honed during war. Modern conflicts produce complex injuries, the pattern of which is unique to each conflict, requiring rapid decision-making and comfort with specific reconstructive techniques.  Although developed for military surgeons to maintain wartime readiness, the lessons learned from garrison, humanitarian, and deployment operations are directly applicable to all reconstructive plastic surgeons.

Upon completion of this learning activity, participants should be able to:

1. Describe the expected differences between combat casualty care in previous conflicts and future conflicts.

2. Identify key differences between routine peacetime practice and the reconstructive demands of wartime or mass-casualty trauma, including patterns of injury, decision-making constraints, and resource limitations.

3. Describe strategies to maintain and enhance readiness for complex reconstructive challenges through complex case capture, simulation, outside partnerships, and multidisciplinary collaboration.

4. Evaluate current gaps in individual and institutional preparedness and outline practical methods to integrate skills sustainment into everyday plastic surgery practice.

5. Develop a personalized readiness plan that incorporates measurable competency benchmarks, deliberate case selection, and structured training opportunities to ensure continued preparedness for future cases.