Burn injury and prevention in the Lebanon War, 1982

Measures taken during the Lebanon War, 1982, to prevent and minimize the extent and severity of tank-crew combat burns proved to be of value. Since 98% of tank crewmen who were burned were wearing fireproof suits at the time, only 12% sustained abdominal burns; 77% had facial burns, as none of them were wearing fireproof masks. Only 9% of the burned soldiers who wore fireproof gloves sustained hand burns, compared with 75% who did not wear the gloves. A comparison of the extent of tank-crew burns in the Lebanon War and the October 1973 War revealed that 51% of the burns in 1982 were minor, compared with 21% in 1973. Of the burns sustained in 1973, 29% covered greater than 40% of the body surface area, compared with 18% in 1982.