Citation

Mazurek MT, Ficke JR. J. Am. Acad. Orthop. Surg. 2006; 14(10): S18-23.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17003195

Abstract

Injuries seen in Operation Iraqi Freedom range from those that can be managed with nonsurgical wound care only to those requiring amputation or multiple bony and soft-tissue procedures for limb salvage. The contamination and soft-tissue injury caused by exploding ordnance requires an aggressive treatment approach. Severe wounds treated near the battlefield (ie, level II) require meticulous surgical d�?�©bridement, early fracture stabilization, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and rapid evacuation. Treatment at a level III combat support hospital involves a greater volume of patients and a longer stay because of the presence of Iraqi national patients. In the authors' experience, most US patients requiring surgical treatment were evacuated to a level IV facility (ie, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center) after one or two surgeries. The basic war surgery principles of aggressive resuscitation, early and thorough debridement, short-duration damage-control surgical procedures, and rapid evacuation were critical in our reduction of wound infection rates to below 7% for all admissions.

Language: en