PATTERN OF COMBAT CASUALTIES IN WAR AGAINST TERROR AMONG SOLDIERS WEARING BODY ARMOR AT CMH PESHAWAR

Pattern of Combat Casualties

Abstract

Objective: To determine the pattern of gun shot & explosive injuries in soldiers equipped with body armor and helmet.
Study Design: Descriptive study
Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital Peshawar, from 1st June 2008 to 30th May 2010.
Patients and Methods: All combat casualties received in „Emergency reception‟ of Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar were included. Data was taken from the patient‟s medical charts and by personal evaluation and entered in a proforma. The variables used were age, use of helmet, cause of the injury, site of injury, Haemo-dynamic Status, conscious level, intensive care treatment duration, total hospital stay, return to work & mortality.
Results: A total of 516 combat casualties were received in „Emergency reception‟ of Combined Military Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan. All patients were males with a mean age of 31.22±7.858 years. Sixty nine percent (356) cases had injury due to splinters from Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and 31% (160) had gunshot wounds. Seventy five percent (391) patients were haemodynamically stable while 24.2 % (125) were unstable. Penetrating Extremity Injury (PEI) was the commonest injury (71.9%) followed by Penetrating Injury of Face or Neck (PNFI) in 12.0% (62), Penetrating Torso Injury (PTI) in 8.9% (46) & Penetrating Injury of Cranial Vault (PCI) in 7.2% (37). Overall mortality was 64 (12.4%)
Conclusion: IEDs have become the weapon of choice in gorilla warfare by the terrorists in addition to guns, bombs, and anti-personnel mines. The use of body armor has decreased the mortality but the morbidity in terms of limb injuries has increased.