Pre-hospital management of pediatric polytrauma during modern conflict: experience and limits of the French military health service

Abstract

III.

Warzone pediatric trauma care: Lessons from civilian medical staff in Kyiv

“…1 Upon reflection on both the existing literature and personal experiences, it is worth noting that pediatric military trauma distinguishes itself from both child injuries in times of peace and injuries sustained by soldiers. [7][8][9] The injury mechanisms in children reported from a single center in Syria included multiple penetrating injuries (74%), blunt injuries (29%), and blast injuries (11%), and the most prevalent injuries were head trauma (56%) and lower extremity injuries (38%), 5 which is characteristic to the modern warzone and in line with our case series. This stands in contrast to pediatric injuries during peacetime in Ukraine published earlier by the second author A.L.…”

“…Furthermore, it is important to highlight that war injuries sustained by children differ from those of soldiers who typically wear ballistic protection, which often limits damage to their thorax and abdomen. 7 In addition, soldiers are generally expected to receive medical assistance within minutes with a well-organized circuit for their management, including evacuation. In contrast, injured children are often transported by their relatives who may themselves be highly distressed and could have injuries of varying severity.…”

“…(in Ukrainian), where a significant majority (92%) is represented by blunt traumas with 78% of them involving brain injuries. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that war injuries sustained by children differ from those of soldiers who typically wear ballistic protection, which often limits damage to their thorax and abdomen 7 . In addition, soldiers are generally expected to receive medical assistance within minutes with a well‐organized circuit for their management, including evacuation.…”