Wartime burn care in Iraq: 28th Combat Support Hospital, 2003

Area of Science:

• Military Medicine
• Trauma Surgery
• Burn Care

Background:

• The 28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) deployed to Iraq in 2003 and became the primary facility for U.S. military burn care.
• This report details the CSH's experience managing burn casualties during combat operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the burn care experiences of a Combat Support Hospital (CSH) during military operations in Iraq.
• To identify challenges and outcomes associated with providing burn care in an austere combat environment.

Main Methods:

• An after-action review was conducted following the hospital's redeployment.
• Data on patient demographics, treatments, lengths of stay, and outcomes were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• The 28th CSH treated 103 burn patients between April and August 2003, including military personnel, contractors, and local civilians/POWs.
• Some patients required prolonged stays (up to 53 days) and definitive care, including extensive excision and grafting (up to 40% total body surface area).
• The burn patient mortality rate was 8%, with 17% returning to duty; identified challenges included shortages of specialized personnel and supplies.

Conclusions:

• Combat Support Hospitals can provide complex, definitive burn care even in austere environments.
• Pre-deployment planning, including early assignment of experienced personnel and materiel to field hospitals designated for specialized missions like burn care, is crucial for improving future wartime burn management.