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Published on: November 29, 2024
Rehospitalization after combat injury.
Brendan D Masini1, Brett D Owens, Joseph R Hsu
1Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234, USA. Brendan.Masini@amedd.army.mil
The Journal of Trauma
|July 29, 2011
Summary
Combat casualties with extremity injuries are most frequently rehospitalized, requiring significant resources. This study highlights the substantial long-term impact and cost associated with these injuries.
Area of Science:
- Military medicine
- Trauma surgery
- Health services research
Background:
- Rehospitalization frequency and resource needs for combat casualties are not well-defined.
- Potential variations in readmission rates based on injured body region exist.
- This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding combat casualty rehospitalization patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency and resource utilization of rehospitalizations in combat casualties.
- To test the hypothesis that extremity injuries lead to the highest readmission rates and resource demands.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Department of Defense database for hospital admissions of service members wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan (Oct 2001-Jan 2005).
- Collected admission data from Oct 2001 to Feb 2008.
- Classified injuries by body region using ICD-9 codes and calculated resource utilization with the 2008 DoD billing calculator.
Main Results:
- The cohort included 1,337 service members with 2,899 admissions; 341 had 670 readmissions.
- Extremity injuries accounted for 64% of rehospitalizations and 66% of rehospitalization days.
- Wound debridement for extremity injuries comprised 92% of all debridement readmissions, costing an estimated $139 million.
Conclusions:
- Extremity injuries are the most common cause of rehospitalization for combat casualties.
- These injuries necessitate the greatest resource utilization during rehospitalization, similar to initial treatment.
- Findings underscore the significant long-term burden and cost associated with extremity trauma in military personnel.
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