Infection in War Wounds: Experience in Recent Military Conflicts and Future Considerations

Abstract

War wounds are characterized by devitalized tissue, the presence of debris, and contamination by bacteria--factors that contribute to the establishment of wound infection. A review of the literature regarding the incidence of wound infection in recent military conflicts strongly suggests that infection in open war wounds occurs with relative frequency despite strict adherence to the principles of surgical debridement and administration of "prophylactic" antibiotics. Further research leading to improved methods of preventing wound sepsis is warranted in order to reduce the incidence of wound infections in the future.

Gunshot-related transport of micro-organisms from the skin of the entrance region into the bullet path

“…This problem is of particular significance in times of war [e.g. [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Clinical studies usually focus on the question of an optimal prophylaxis/therapy to minimize the risk of infection [e.g.…”

Textile fibres along the bullet path – experimental study on a skin-gelatine composite model

“…Bacterial infection is a complication often seen in the clinical treatment of (primarily) survived gunshot injuries [2,6,18].…”

Basic Principles of Plastic Surgical Approach to Patients with High Energy Traumas

“…Aynı çalışmada ateş-li silah yaralanması ve trafik kazasını içeren yüksek etkili yaralanması olan 73 hastanın 1'inde plak vidanın çıkartılmasını gerektiren dirençli enfeksiyon ile, 2 hastada ise plak vidanın yenilenmesini gerektiren kaynama kusuru ile karşılaşıldığı bildirilmiştir. İle-ri düzeyde parçalı kırıkların olduğu hastalarda ise eksternal fiksasyon yöntemlerinin de göz önünde tutulması önerilmektedir (38) . Bu nedenle, ilk kanama kontrolü ve debridmanın ardından yapılan seri yıka-ma ve debridmanlar ardından kemik yapılara internal fiksasyon işlemi uygulanmalıdır.…”