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Defining the medical coverage of ballistic protection to the pelvis and thigh
Eluned Lewis1, R N Fryer2, J Breeze3,4
1Defence Ordnance and Safety Group (DOSG), Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), Abbey Wood, Bristol, UK eluned.lewis759@mod.gov.uk.
Insights
New research analyzed CT scans to optimize pelvic protection (PP) for military personnel. Current systems offer more coverage than needed, suggesting material reduction for improved comfort and cost-effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Military Medicine
- Trauma Surgery
- Ballistics
Background:
- Explosive devices in combat cause severe pelvis, lower limb, and genital injuries.
- UK Armed Forces adopted a pelvic protection system (PP) in 2010 due to high casualty rates in Afghanistan.
- Existing PP systems may offer excessive coverage, impacting user comfort and cost.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the medical coverage of the pelvis and thigh for military personnel.
- To define optimal vertical dimensions for future ballistic pelvic protection (PP).
- To assess the adequacy of current PP coverage compared to anatomical measurements.
Main Methods:
- Computed tomography (CT) scans of 120 male UK Armed Forces personnel were analyzed.
- Anthropometric landmarks and vertical coverage boundaries for the pelvis and thigh were identified.
- Measurements were compared to the ballistic components of five sizes of tier 1 PP using a paired t-test.
Main Results:
- Vertical coverage measurements from CT scans were significantly less than all five sizes of tier 1 PP (p<0.01).
- The smallest tier 1 PP ballistic component (410 mm) exceeded the 99th percentile male's measurements (346 mm).
- Significant overlap was observed between PP sizes and anatomical coverage requirements.
Conclusions:
- Current tier 1 PP systems provide adequate coverage to the pelvis and upper thigh.
- There is an opportunity to optimize future PP designs by reducing material.
- Reducing material in PP can enhance heat dissipation, user comfort, and lower mass and acquisition costs.
Introduction:
Pelvis, lower limb and associated genital injury caused by explosive devices was responsible for mortality and considerable long-term morbidity for the UK Armed Forces during combat operations in Afghanistan, resulting in the issue of a pelvic protection system in 2010. The aim of this current research was to determine the medical coverage of the pelvis and thigh and to define the vertical dimensions of ballistic protective material for future pelvic protection (PP).
Method:
CT scans from 120 male UK Armed Forces personnel were analysed to identify the anthropometric landmarks and vertical boundaries of coverage for the pelvis and thigh. Pelvic height was the vertical distance between the upper border of the iliac crest in the midaxillary plane to the most inferior point of the ischial tuberosity of the pelvis. Upper thigh height was proposed as a 100 mm fixed distance below the ischial tuberosities, enabling a tourniquet to be reproducibly applied. These distances were compared with the ballistic component of the five sizes of tier 1 PP using a paired t-test.
Results:
The vertical components of coverage measured using CT scans were all significantly less (p<0.01) compared with all five sizes of tier 1 PP; for example, the ballistic component of the smallest size of tier 1 PP measured 410 mm, which was larger than the 99th percentile male, which measured 346 mm on CT scans.
Conclusions:
While all sizes of tier 1 PP provide coverage to the pelvis and upper thigh structures, there is an opportunity to optimise future PP. For example, comparing the large size of tier 1 PP to the 50th percentile male demonstrated an opportunity to reduce the ballistic protective component by 31%. Reducing the quantity of material used will improve heat dissipation and user comfort and reduce material mass and acquisition costs.
