"You are a U.S. Army physician who has just completed a medical internship and have been deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While there, two insurgent casualties are brought to your battalion aid station after a fire-fight at a nearby traffic stop. One has a gunshot wound to the head with exposed brain matter, and the other has an open wound through the chest. Both are dead, and restrained with hand-cuffs. You received the initial call about the incident over 90 minutes ago, and are surprised by the delay. You ask a medic who accompanied the casualties why they were not trans- ported more quickly, and why there is no evidence of medical interventions having been performed in the field. He is unable to provide an answer. When you ask the senior line medic, he tells you that they were unable to approach the casualties in a timely fashion because they were believed to have explosives tied to their bodies. You are concerned about what transpired, but unsure how to go about addressing the situation."
Source: Sessums, Laura L, et al. (2009), 'Ethical practice under fire: deployed physicians in the global war on terrorism', Military medicine, 174 (5), 441-47.
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