J. C. Gomez-Rodriquez1, M. Swaroop3, D. A. Annaya2, C. A. FRANCO CORREDOR5, C. E. VELEZ1, W. Sanchez Maldonado4 1Hospital Militar De Oriente,General Surgery And Trauma,Villavicencio, , Colombia 2Baylor College Of Medicine,Surgical Oncology,Houston, TX, USA 3Northwestern University,Trauma And Critical Care,Chicago, IL, USA 4Hospital Militar Central,Bogota, , Colombia 5Jefatura De Sanidad Del Ejército De Colombia,Bogota, , Colombia
Introduction:
Terrorist groups have used a wide variety of improvised explosive devices (IED) in warfare in Colombia since the 1960s. There have been recent changes in governmental military tactics leading to decreased number of terrorist attacks, but the impact on IED use patterns has not been studied. We aimed to examine the change in blast injury patterns over the last five years to refine future military medical resource utilization planning.
Methods:
Data regarding blast injuries affecting military personnel in Colombia were collected from the Colombian Army Health Authority from 2009 to 2013.
Results:
The annual number of blast injuries has decreased over the past four years (222 affected in 2009 vs 131 in 2013). Blast injury patterns have changed as well, with more recent injuries comprising primarily lower extremity wounds rather than lethal torso injuries seen in earlier years.
Conclusion:
With changes in military tactics in Colombia’s war on terrorism there has been a marked decrease in IED-associated blast injuries, with changes in blast injury patterns. The higher rate of mangled extremities has likely resulted in decreased blast lethality, but demands more health-care resources. With the likelihood of protracted military operations, military medical providers will need to continue planning for and optimizing treatment of complex lower extremity injuries.