Frontline Operational Resuscitation and Combat Emergencies (FORCE) Manual

This manual is a first-of-its kind comprehensive trauma care doctrine tailored for military, paramilitary, and disaster-response environments. Rooted in the realities of delayed evacuation, resource constraints, and terrain-specific challenges, it offers a modular, role-based, and improvisation-ready framework for managing life-threatening injuries in austere and high-risk settings. It reimagines trauma care beyond conventional hospital-based models.

The manual integrates evidence-based trauma management with operational improvisation and mission-readiness unique to Indian combat settings, drawing from international best practices like TCCC, ATLS, and PHTLS. From haemorrhage control and airway management to spinal trauma and blast injuries, each chapter is enriched with vivid scenarios, field-tested protocols and simple algorithms for real-time decision-making.

The book includes focused sections on hand trauma, gunshot wounds, blast injuries, and prolonged field care―hallmarks of modern asymmetric warfare. By weaving in psychological resilience and mission-driven planning, it inspires a culture where every provider from medic to commander stands as a vital link in the chain of survival, prepared to lead with courage and act with clarity.

This clear and easy to follow manual is essential for medics, physicians, trainees, and responders preparing to serve in combat, counterinsurgency, or humanitarian missions. It offers not just guidelines, but a mindset empowering providers to lead and save lives when it matters most.

Dr. Neha Thakur Rai, MBBS (Hons), MD, FRCPCH, FACEE, MNAMS is Professor (Jr) of Pediatrics at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences (RMLIMS), Lucknow, India. She is a leading authority in pediatric emergency medicine, celebrated for her extraordinary excellence in designing high-stakes medical courses. Her work focuses on the critical intersection of rapid clinical intervention and operational efficiency. Dr. Rai’s expertise lies in transforming complex trauma protocols into actionable, frontline strategies. Her curriculum designs are not merely academic; they are battle-tested frameworks built for the high-pressure environments where every second determines a patient’s survival. She developed the 'Pediatric Trauma Resuscitation Module (PTRM)' under a grant from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Her "PTRM for PCP" initiative empowers healthcare workers across the diverse Indian landscape―from specialised trauma centres to frontline hospital setups―ensuring elite-level resuscitation skills are available everywhere. Dr Rai is a Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (FRCPCH), a core faculty member of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) program and an expert in pediatric trauma management who has secured multiple research grants to advance the science of emergency care.

Dr. Samir Misra is Professor in Department of Traumatology and Surgery at King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, India. He is also in charge of Centre for Advance Skill Development (CASD) at KGMU. He established the Centre for Advance Skill Development (CASD) at KGMU, which runs regular ATLS course along with other skill development courses. As a course director in ATLS course, Dr Misra has conducted numerous provider and instructor courses along with various simulation-based training programmes in the country for betterment of trauma care and training doctors, nurse and paramedics to help and treat trauma victims. Dr. Samir has to his credit various books, books chapter, papers and patents. He is involved in various medical and surgical associations and on the editorial board of journals. Dr Misra as active office bearer of ISTAC (Indian Society for Trauma and Acute Care) is determined to promote and propagate the pediatric trauma resuscitation module for better management of pediatric trauma patients.