Deployment Injury Surveillance Summary, U.S. Army Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom Calendar Year 2009

Abstract

Abstract : The aims of this report on injuries to Soldiers engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) are to: a. Describe the relative impact of injury compared to disease for calendar year (CY) 2009. b. Document non-battle injury (NBI) rates and trends from 2003???2009. c. Identify leading diagnoses and causes of non-battle injury for CY 2009. d. Make recommendations to improve Army injury prevention. e. Summarize key U.S. Army Public Health Command (USAPHC) CY 2009 analytic deployment surveillance projects on injuries among deployed Soldiers. Routinely collected air evacuation, inpatient hospitalization, and casualty data provide the basis for deployment injury surveillance during current Army deployments in support of OIF and OEF. Non-battle injury (NBI) was notably the most significant cause of medical evacuations. As previously seen in CY2008, NBI was second to digestive diseases for OIF hospitalizations and second to battle injuries for OEF hospitalizations. Of all battle fatalities, approximately two-thirds were due to explosives. The leading causes of non-fatal NBIs (sports, falls and jumps, self-inflicted injuries, land transport accidents) indicate that they are likely preventable. Timely reporting of injury rates, types, and causes should allow Commanders and Army leaders to focus attention on prevention strategies and policies while the operations are ongoing.