In mass casualty situations and particularly in a combat setting, high-level trauma care is not readily available and several severed limbs may simultaneously need preservation. Twelve hours may not be sufficient for collecting the extremities, stabilizing the patients, and transporting them to a medical facility with the resources needed for limb replantation. A limb preservation technology capable of maintaining the limb for 24 hours or more would, therefore, facilitate prolonged forward care of detached limbs in cases of trauma, particularly in the military setting.
