Management of combat-related extremity injuries in modern armed conflicts - 25/11/24

Doi : 10.1016/j.otsr.2024.104055

Laurent Mathieu ^a,^b,^c,^d,⁎ , Camille Choufani ^e, Christophe Andro ^f, Nicolas de l’Escalopier ^b
^a Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France
^b Hôpital d’instruction des Armées Percy, Clamart, France
^c Ecole du Val-de-Grâce, Paris, France
^d Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées, Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
^e Hôpital d’instruction des Armées Saint-Anne, Toulon, France
^f Hôpital d’instruction des Armées Clermont-Tonnerre, Brest, France

^⁎Corresponding author.

Sous presse. Épreuves corrigées par l'auteur. Disponible en ligne depuis le Monday 25 November 2024

Abstract

While the first conflicts of the 21st century involved asymmetric warfare in the fight against terrorism, recent geopolitical events require us to prepare for the possibility of high-intensity conflicts. Modern wounding agents mainly consist of explosive devices and high-velocity bullets. Every trauma surgeon must be familiar with the mechanisms of injury specific to armed conflicts. The initial care of these injuries is based on applying damage control surgery to save the patient’s life, save their limb if possible and preserve their function. Blast injuries are the most common in modern armed conflicts; the resulting combination of severe injuries can be challenging to treat. Limb reconstruction involves a sequential strategy based on simple, reliable and reproducible techniques which can be used by non-specialized surgeons working in sometimes austere situations.