Resuscitation in a multiple casualty event.

A major weakness in the emergency medical response to multiple casualty events continues to be the resuscitation component, which should consist of the systematic application of basic, advanced, and prolonged life support and definitive care within 24 hours. There have been major advances in emergency medical care over the last decade, including the feasibility of point-of-care ultrasound to aid in rapid assessment of injuries in the field, damage control resuscitation, and resuscitative surgery protocols, delivered by small trauma/resuscitation teams equipped with regional anesthesia capability for rapid deployment. Widespread adoption of these best practices may improve the delivery of resuscitative care in future multiple casualty events.