Inpatient care for the aircraft carrier battle group.

A case series of 417 consecutive ward admissions onboard the USS Forrestal (CV59) is presented. During the 1-year study period, the inpatient ward was open for 260 days while the ship was underway, including workups and extended Mediterranean deployment. The case series displays the variety of clinical inpatient care provided in the shipboard environment. The 10 most clinically challenging patients demonstrate the complexity of care provided. Implication for inpatient care capability afloat are discussed.