Medical care of Iraqis at a forwardly deployed U.S. Army hospital during Operation Desert Storm

To evaluate the injuries and diseases and their subsequent care for both Iraqis and U.S. soldiers in the Persian Gulf War, we analyzed all 196 admissions to the 46th Combat Support Hospital during Operation Desert Storm, with primary focus on the 118 admissions during the Ground War. Admission diagnosis was used to classify injury or disease. Percentage of patients who underwent surgery for combat wounds and percentage of patients who were air-evacuated were used as measurements of quality of care. The proportion of Iraqi patients who had been wounded in action was significantly higher than the proportion for Americans (95 vs. 53% for the Ground War). The rate of surgical procedures per wounded patients admitted was the same for Iraqis (28%) as for Americans (27%). Rates of air-evacuation for Iraqis were not statistically different from those for Americans in the same category of admission diagnoses. These last two findings suggest that the quality of care given to Iraqis was the same as that given to Americans.