Acid-Base Status of Seriously Wounded Combat Casualties

Prevalence of tension pneumothorax in fatally wounded combat casualties.

BACKGROUND Tension pneumothorax is a potential cause of death in victims of penetrating chest trauma, but little is known about its actual prevalence. METHODS Data that are part of the Vietnam Wound Data and Munitions Effectiveness Team study were analyzed to address this question. Radiographs of 978 casualties were examined for evidence of tension pneumothorax using standard radiologic crite...

Partial foot amputations in the combat wounded.

Throughout the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, there have been more than 1100 combat-related major limb amputations, with approximately 80% involving the lower extremity. There is, however, a paucity of data regarding the number of amputations below the level of the ankle. Although not as common, partial foot amputations, in the appropriate setting, offer a way to improve function an...

Transfusion-associated microchimerism in combat casualties.

BACKGROUND Fresh whole blood (FrWB) is routinely used in the resuscitation of combat casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. However, studies have shown high rates (20%-40%) of transfusion-associated microchimerism (TA-MC) in civilian trauma patients receiving allogenic red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. We explored the incidence of TA-MC in combat casualties recei...

Mass casualties in combat: lessons learned.

Effects on acid-base status

SINCE the introduction of external cardiac massage the technique and results of cardiac resuscitation have received much attention, but less information is available on the effect of cardiac arrest on respiration and circulation. The authors, who provided a resuscitation service for a general hospital, were particularly interested in these aspects and in thirty-eight of the first 100 patients t...