Comparison of the non-mortal gunshot and handmade explosive blast traumas during a low-intensity conflict on urban terrain

Özet

Objectives: We aimed to conduct a cross-sectional data analysis involving 60 patients wounded during a lowintensity conflict on urban terrain.Material and Methods: Data of the 60 patients wounded during a low-intensity conflict on urban terrain betweenSeptember 1st, 2016, and January 15th, 2017, and transferred to our hospital after the initial medical interventionsconducted in the regional hospitals were probed retrospectively. Group A consisted of 25 (41.67%) patients sufferinggunshot wounds, and Group B consisted of 35 (58.33%) patients with blast trauma injuries. Their Abbreviated InjuryScale scores were compared according to the injured body compartment.Results: In both groups, extremities were the most common site of injury (17 [50%] for Group A, 18 [33.33%] for Group B). The difference between the two groups was statistically significant for only head and neck injuries and facialinjuries (p<0.05). In each group, only one body compartment was affected in 19 patients, which represented 55.88%of patients in Group A and 35.18% of patients in Group B. Injuries of three compartments concurrently occurred in3 (8.82%) patients in Group A and 4 (7.4%) patients in Group B. None of our patients died because of their injuries.Conclusion: Contrary to the expected, gunshot casualties were found to be more likely to suffer from extremityinjuries than blast casualties did, and it should be noted that blast trauma casualties tend to have multiple compartment injuries that should not be missed. Ocular ruptures are also common, especially with blast injuries, warrantingequipping the personnel with protective goggles.