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Children treated at an expeditionary military hospital in Iraq
Christopher P Coppola1, Brian E Leininger, Todd E Rasmussen
1Department of Surgery, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Tex, USA. ccoppola@pol.net
Insights
Pediatric care in wartime Iraq
Area of Science:
- Military medicine
- Pediatric surgery
- Trauma care
Background:
- Expeditionary military hospitals treat diverse patient populations, including children.
- Understanding pediatric case mix and outcomes is crucial for optimizing care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the characteristics and treatment of children seen at an expeditionary military hospital in Iraq during wartime.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective descriptive study of 85 children treated at the 332nd Air Force Theater Hospital, Balad, Iraq (Jan 2004–May 2005).
- Data collected included age, sex, diagnosis, injury type and location, surgical procedures, and complications.
Main Results:
- Children comprised 5.2% of all patients, with injuries (56%) being the most common diagnosis, primarily fragmentation wounds and penetrating trauma.
- Lower extremities and head were the most frequent sites of injury.
- 63 children underwent 134 operations; 5 deaths occurred.
Conclusions:
- Expeditionary military hospitals must be prepared to treat both injured and non-injured children.
- Optimizing pediatric care requires appropriate personnel, specialized training, and essential equipment.
Objective:
To describe the treatment of children at an expeditionary military hospital in wartime Iraq.
Design:
Descriptive, retrospective study.
Setting:
The 332nd Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq, January 1, 2004, to May 31, 2005.
Patients:
All 85 children (of 1626 total patients) evaluated and treated at the hospital during the study period.
Interventions:
Indicated surgical procedures performed on children.
Main Outcome Measures:
Age, sex, diagnosis, injury, operations, and complications for children during the study period.
Results:
The 85 children (age range, 1 day to 17 years; mean, 8 years) represented 5.2% of all patients. Thirty-four (61%) of the 56 children for whom sex was recorded were male. Injury was the diagnosis for 48 children (56%). Of these, the cause was fragmentation wound in 25 children (52%), penetrating trauma in 11 (23%), burn in 9 (19%), and blunt trauma in 3 (6%). The site of injury was the lower extremity in 18 children (38%), head in 11 (23%), upper extremity in 8 (17%), abdomen in 8 (17%), and chest in 3 (6%). Nontraumatic conditions had congenital, infectious, gastrointestinal, and neoplastic causes. During the study, 134 operations were performed on 63 children. There were 5 deaths.
Conclusions:
Expeditionary military hospitals will encounter both injured and noninjured children seeking medical care. To optimize the care of these children, it will be necessary to provide the proper personnel, training, and equipment.
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