| Title | Combat wounds in operation Iraqi Freedom and operation Enduring Freedom. | | Author(s) | Owens BD, Kragh JF, Wenke JC, Macaitis J, Wade CE, Holcomb JB | | Institution | U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, USA. b.owens@us.army.mil | | Source | J Trauma 2008 Feb; 64(2):295-9. | | MeSH | Adolescent
Adult
Afghanistan
Blast Injuries
Explosions
Female
Humans
Iraq
Male
Middle Aged
Military Personnel
United States
War
Wounds and Injuries
Wounds, Gunshot
| | Abstract | BACKGROUND: There have been no large cohort reports detailing the wounding patterns and mechanisms in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
METHODS: The Joint Theater Trauma Registry was queried for all US service members receiving treatment for wounds (International Classification of Diseases-9th Rev. codes 800-960) sustained in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom from October 2001 through January 2005. Returned-to-duty and nonbattle injuries were excluded from final analysis.
RESULTS: This query resulted in 3,102 casualties, of which 31% were classified as nonbattle injuries and 18% were returned-to-duty within 72 hours. A total of 1,566 combatants sustained 6,609 combat wounds. The locations of these wounds were as follows: head (8%), eyes (6%), ears (3%), face (10%), neck (3%), thorax (6%), abdomen (11%), and extremity (54%). The proportion of head and neck wounds is higher (p < 0.0001) than the proportion experienced in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam wars (16%-21%). The proportion of thoracic wounds is a decrease (p < 0.0001) from World War II and Vietnam (13%). The proportion of gunshot wounds was 18%, whereas the proportion sustained from explosions was 78%.
CONCLUSIONS: The wounding patterns currently seen in Iraq and Afghanistan resemble the patterns from previous conflicts, with some notable exceptions: a greater proportion of head and neck wounds, and a lower proportion of thoracic wounds. An explosive mechanism accounted for 78% of injuries, which is the highest proportion seen in any large-scale conflict. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Comparative Study
Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 18301189 |
|
