Faculty Collaboration Database

Died of wounds on the battlefield: causation and implications for improving combat casualty care. J Trauma 2011 Jul;71(1 Suppl):S4-8

Date

08/04/2011

Pubmed ID

21795876

DOI

10.1097/TA.0b013e318221147b

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-79960425101 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   457 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Understanding the epidemiology of death after battlefield injury is vital to combat casualty care performance improvement. The current analysis was undertaken to develop a comprehensive perspective of deaths that occurred after casualties reached a medical treatment facility.

METHODS: Battle injury died of wounds (DOW) deaths that occurred after casualties reached a medical treatment facility from October 2001 to June 2009 were evaluated by reviewing autopsy and other postmortem records at the Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiners (OAFME). A panel of military trauma experts classified the injuries as nonsurvivable (NS) or potentially survivable (PS), in consultation with an OAFME forensic pathologist. Data including demographics, mechanism of injury, physiologic and laboratory variables, and cause of death were obtained from the Joint Theater Trauma Registry and the OAFME Mortality Trauma Registry.

RESULTS: DOW casualties (n = 558) accounted for 4.56% of the nonreturn to duty battle injuries over the study period. DOW casualties were classified as NS in 271 (48.6%) cases and PS in 287 (51.4%) cases. Traumatic brain injury was the predominant injury leading to death in 225 of 271 (83%) NS cases, whereas hemorrhage from major trauma was the predominant mechanism of death in 230 of 287 (80%) PS cases. In the hemorrhage mechanism PS cases, the major body region bleeding focus accounting for mortality were torso (48%), extremity (31%), and junctional (neck, axilla, and groin) (21%). Fifty-one percent of DOW casualties presented in extremis with cardiopulmonary resuscitation upon presentation.

CONCLUSIONS: Hemorrhage is a major mechanism of death in PS combat injuries, underscoring the necessity for initiatives to mitigate bleeding, particularly in the prehospital environment.

Author List

Eastridge BJ, Hardin M, Cantrell J, Oetjen-Gerdes L, Zubko T, Mallak C, Wade CE, Simmons J, Mace J, Mabry R, Bolenbaucher R, Blackbourne LH

Author

James E. Mace MD Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Brain Injuries
Emergency Medical Services
Exsanguination
Female
Humans
Iraq War, 2003-2011
Male
Military Medicine
Registries
Wounds and Injuries
Young Adult