Severely wounded soldiers fare better with superior triage, transport

U.S. military personnel with severe chest injuries sustained during the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq had higher mortality rates than their counterparts in the Korean and Vietnam wars, although superior triage and transport in current conflicts has led to better chance of survival in these patients, according to Texas researchers.

Soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq with chest injuries had a mortality rate of 8.3%, Katherine M. Ivey, MD, a general surgery resident at the San Antonio Military Medical Center, said during a presentation at the American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress. When researchers compared mortality rates in current conflicts with past U.S. engagements, they noted that World War II chest injuries had a mortality rate of 10%, while soldiers in Korea and Vietnam had 2% and 3% mortality rates, respectively, according to a press release.

The data were pulled from the Joint Trauma Theater Registry for U.S. soldiers between January 2003 and May 2011, according to the release. Although the results did not include soldiers killed in action, Ivey suggested the data shows that trauma surgeons are saving more soldiers who would likely have been killed in action.

“We feel that these findings are likely a reflection of our ability to get more severely injured soldiers – whom otherwise may have died on the battlefield – to a medical facility,” Ivey stated in the press release. “We have the capability now of moving sicker patients from theater to the United States that we did not have before.”

Additionally, moving soldiers home “within days or weeks as opposed to weeks or months” contributed to survival, Ivey said.

Reference:

Ivey KM. Thoracic injuries in U.S. combat casualties: A review of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Presented at the American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress; Sept. 30-Oct. 4, 2012; Chicago.