In volume XVI, leading specialists from the Military Medical Academy examine the contemporary aspects of combat and civilian trauma. The unprecedented wave of terrorism and the significant increase in civilian trauma require much closer cooperation between the military and civilian trauma systems, and the present work represents an extremely valuable first step in this regard. The general part presents in detail the principles of military surgery, firearms, wound ballistics, explosive trauma, assessment of the severity of trauma, and the problems of circulation and evacuation. Particular attention is paid to the organization and volume of surgical care in accordance with the modern NATO military medical doctrine. A separate section examines the pathophysiology of trauma, the problems of resuscitation and anesthesia, the specific approaches to severe trauma developed in the last two decades (damage control surgery and damage control reconstruction), as well as techniques for closing the abdominal wall. Particular attention is paid to the assessment of wounds, wound infection, and methods for their treatment. The special section covers trauma to all organs and systems, with each chapter ending with clearly defined practical advice. The volume is intended for surgeons, thoracic, vascular and maxillofacial surgeons, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, urologists, traumatologists, anesthesiologists, students and residents.