Proposed specifications of a mobile operating room for far-forward surgery

Summary: Provision of initial surgery to casualties within one hour of injury is associated with better survival. Where evacuation options are limited, surgery within the “golden hour” may have to occur close to the point of injury. Interventions close to the point of injury are limited by the adverse environment. Far-forward surgery has a long history going back to Dominique Larrey of the Napoleonic Army. We reviewed previous reports and used our own experience of far-forward surgery to describe the specifications of the ideal mobile operating room that would address some of these environmental barriers.