Abstract
The role of plastic surgeons in extremity reconstruction following mass casualty incidents
Highlights
Initiated intentionally or as a result of natural disaster, mass casualty incidents (MCIs) continue to pose a significant challenge for emergency medical resources and multidisciplinary trauma teams
Of particular concern in MCIs are crush and blast injuries to the upper and lower extremities, etiologies of which are rooted in the diversity of disaster types
Three events including our institution’s experience with the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, the 2015-2016 Ankara Terrorist Attacks, and the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti were chosen to highlight extremity wounds associated with MCIs and the subsequent reconstructive role of plastic surgeons
Summary
Initiated intentionally or as a result of natural disaster, mass casualty incidents (MCIs) continue to pose a significant challenge for emergency medical resources and multidisciplinary trauma teams. In an era of domestic and international terrorism, deliberate episodes of mass violence utilizing explosives and firearms have disturbed the core of social intimacy and tested the resilience of regional care centers. Of particular concern in MCIs are crush and blast injuries to the upper and lower extremities, etiologies of which are rooted in the diversity of disaster types. The polytrauma associated with explosions results from a primary high-pressure blast wave and secondary discharge of fragmented projectiles causing injuries ranging from soft tissue loss to complete traumatic amputation[1,2]. In a clinical review of conflict and terrorist related trauma, Dussault et al.[2] found that on average, 54% of blast injuries affect the extremities. A review by Clover et al.[3]
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