The Frequency of Application of Anesthetic Techniques in the Care of the Injured During the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995)

Abstract

Background: War is a negative social phenomenon that results in a large number of dead, injured and ill individuals. Choosing an adequate anesthesiology technique with a minimum of anesthesiology equipment, anesthetics, medications and personnel, in often improvised conditions, is an imperative. Most operations in war trauma can be performed under regional, local or dissociative anesthesia. Objective. The aim of this study was to present the most commonly applied anesthetic techniques in the anesthetic-surgical care of the injured during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995. Methods. The study is retrospective and included 130 patients of both sexes, operated at the Clinical Center in Sarajevo in the three-months period from 05.02.1994. until 05.05.1994. In the study, we analyzed gender, age and types of applied anesthetic techniques. Results. From 130 analyzed patients, 103 were male while 27 were female. The average age of all patients was 40.47 years. The average age of male patients was 38.45 years, and the average age of female patients was 48.18 years. The largest number of patients was in the age group of 30-39 years, both in total number and by gender. The youngest patient was 2 while the oldest one was 87 years old. The largest number of patients were operated under spinal anesthesia. Conclusion. An anesthesiologist in war is required to act quickly and efficiently in caring for a large number of injured patients. Regional, ketamine, and local anesthesia techniques accommodate such requirements and are more commonly used than general anesthesia.