Abstract
BackgroundSince 2001, the French Armed Forces have sustained many casualties during the Global War on Terror; however, even today, there is no French Military trauma registry. Some French service members (SMs) were treated in US Military Medical Treatment Facilities (MTFs) and were recorded in the US Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR). Our objective was to conduct a descriptive analysis of the injuries sustained by French SMs reported in the DoDTR and subsequent care provided to them to assist in understanding the importance of building a French Military trauma registry.MethodsUsing DoDTR data collected from 2001 to 2017, a retrospective descriptive analysis was conducted. We identified 59 French SMs treated in US MTFs. The characteristics of the SMs’ demographics, injuries, care provided to them, and discharge outcomes were summarized.ResultsAmong the 59 French SMs identified, 46 (78%) sustained battle injuries (BIs) and 13 (22%) sustained nonbattle injuries (NBIs). There were 47 (80%) SMs injured in Afghanistan (Opération Pamir), while 12 (20%) were injured in Opération Chammal in Iraq and Syria. Explosives accounted for 52.5% of injuries, while 25.4% were due to gunshot wounds; all were BIs. The majority of reported injuries were penetrating (59.3%), most of which were BIs (71.7%). The mean Injury Severity Score for BIs was 12 (SD = 8.9) compared to 6 (SD = 1.7) for NBIs. Around half of SMs (n = 30; 51%) were injured in Afghanistan between the years 2008–2010. Among a total of 246 injuries sustained by 59 patients, extremities were the body part most prone to BIs followed by the head and face. Four SMs died after admission (6.8%).ConclusionsThe DoDTR provides extensive data on trauma injuries that can be used to inform injury prevention and clinical care. The majority of injuries sustained by French SMs were BIs, caused by explosives, and predominantly occurring to the extremities; these findings are similar to those of other studies conducted in combat zones. There is a need to establish a French Military trauma registry to improve the combat casualty care provided to French SMs, and its creation may benefit from the DoDTR model.
Highlights
Since the start of the Global War on Terror in 2001, French military forces have been part of the international military coalitions’ forces in different operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East (i.e. Iraq and Syria)
From 2001 to 2014, France was involved in Opération Pamir as a part of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which ran concurrently with its United States (US) counterpart, Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) that began in October 2001 [1, 2]
This study is retrospective, and the patient population studied was small and may not be representative of all French Service Member (SM) injured in Afghanistan and the Middle East
Summary
Since the start of the Global War on Terror in 2001, French military forces have been part of the international military coalitions’ forces in different operations in Afghanistan and the Middle East (i.e. Iraq and Syria). France assumed command of the medical hospital at the Kabul International Airport (KaIA) located in the capital region of Afghanistan from 2009 to 2014 [3]. This NATO hospital provided Role 3 medical and surgical capability care to Coalition and Afghan patients [4]. Since 2001, the French Armed Forces have sustained many casualties during the Global War on Terror; even today, there is no French Military trauma registry. Our objective was to conduct a descriptive analysis of the injuries sustained by French SMs reported in the DoDTR and subsequent care provided to them to assist in understanding the importance of building a French Military trauma registry
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
