[Medical losses of the Soviet troops during the war in Afghanistan (2)]

Personnel sanitary losses of the 40th Army from gunshot injuries and traumata during the Afghan war took small share in the structure of sanitary losses--about 12%, and fighting sanitary losses constituted 7.49% of the number of all sanitary losses. Significant unevenness in occurrence of fighting sanitary losses was noted--from solitary to 40-50 persons. It allowed to provide their conveyance from field of operations, evacuation to medical institutions and to render the necessary types of medical care in optimal periods. However high frequency of multiple injuries, great share of the casualties with head, abdomen and lower extremity wounds as well as extremely difficult climatic conditions aggravated casualties' state (about 50% needed emergency care). It required revision of organizational-and-staff structure of medical institutions, strengthening of diagnostic units, reanimation and intensive care departments and those units where specialized medical care is rendered, first of all traumatologic and neurosurgical.