Airway Management in Severe Combat Maxillofacial Trauma

Airway stabilization is critical in combat maxillofacial injury as normal anatomical landmarks can be obscured. The study objective was to characterize the epidemiology of airway management in maxillofacial trauma.

Retrospective database analysis.

Military treatment facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan and stateside tertiary care centers.

In total, 1345 military personnel with combat-related maxillofacial injuries sustained March 2004 to August 2010 were identified from the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes.

Descriptive statistics, including basic demographics, injury severity, associated injuries, and airway interventions, were collected. A logistic regression was performed to determine factors associated with the need for tracheostomy.

A total of 239 severe maxillofacial injuries were identified. The most common mechanism of injury was improvised explosive devices (66%), followed by gunshot wounds (8%), mortars (5%), and landmines (4%). Of the subjects, 51.4% required intubation on their initial presentation. Of tracheostomies, 30.4% were performed on initial presentation. Of those who underwent bronchoscopy, 65.2% had airway inhalation injury. There was a significant relationship between the presence of head and neck burn and association with airway inhalation injury (P < .0001). There was also a significant relationship between the severity of facial injury and the need for intubation (P = .002), as well as the presence of maxillofacial fracture and the need for tracheostomy (P = .0001).

There is a high incidence of airway injury in combat maxillofacial trauma, which may be underestimated. Airway management in this population requires a high degree of suspicion and low threshold for airway stabilization.