Patents, or intellectual property rights granted to the patent holder or inventors, constitute a highly valuable repository of information on the global state of technology. It is estimated that approximately 80% of technological information contained in patent databases is not available through other sources (1). The systematic analysis, classification, and identification of trends in patent filings and grants, alongside data and text mining of their content, can provide significant insights into the nature and direction of research and development (R&D) activities undertaken by companies, universities, and even governmental institutions worldwide (2).

Patent classification systems have been developed to organize and categorize patents by subject matter. Examination of patents within these classifications and their thematic domains reveals both the quantitative breadth and the qualitative diversity of patented technologies (3, 4). One of the areas in which patent analysis can be effectively employed for idea generation, the identification of emerging technological trends, and the preservation of competitive advantage is the field of military and combat medicine. This domain, due to its inherently military and defense‑oriented nature, is less represented in open‑access resources compared to other fields. However, owing to the efforts of companies to safeguard intellectual property rights for patents with dual‑use or international applications (5), it is possible—through well‑defined queries, sound strategic planning, systematic methodologies, and the translation of applicable knowledge (3)—to gain partial yet meaningful insights into certain aspects of this field and its emerging innovations. Such insights can serve as a source of inspiration for R&D teams in advancing novel methods and tools for medical practice within military and defense structures.

Accordingly, it is recommended that in future issues, one of the topics authors may wish to investigate and publish in this journal could be the analysis of patents in the fields of naval medicine, combat medicine, and marine medicine.

(english versian of this letter translated by microsoft copilot Ai)