Wartime Thoracic Injury: Perspectives in Modern Warfare

The UK military experience of thoracic injury in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

“…Interestingly, despite the use of an improved helmet design, the mortality from penetrating head injuries remained at 36% -the same as in the Vietnam Conflict. 33 Our results compliment that of Propper et al 34 in reporting the experience of combat thoracic injury in Iraq and Afghanistan. That US JTTR study reported that half of casualties with thoracic injuries were not wearing combat body armour; however their severity of injuries were less compared to US troops although survival rates were equal.…”

Thoracic trauma in Iraq and Afghanistan

“…There was a higher incidence of CRTT than that reported by Propper et al 10 In their retrospective report of data from the JTTR from 2002 to September 2008, they found a 4.9% incidence of CRTT among 33,755 casualties. 10 There was no significant difference in inclusion criteria used between studies.…”

“…5Y8 The most recent report of injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan described a 9.9% incidence of injuries to the thoracic region without delineation of types of injury. 9 An older report by Propper et al 10 described a 4.9% rate of combat-related thoracic trauma (CRTT) and presented the incidence of types of thoracic injuries seen. Propper et al 10 reported an overall mortality rate of 12% for all CRTT but did not delineate mortality rates or relative risks for specific thoracic injuries.…”

The epidemiology of noncompressible torso hemorrhage in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

“…7,18 Propper et al 18 examined wartime thoracic injury from 2002 to 2009. The authors found that thoracic injury of any type occurred in 5% of wartime casualties, with a mean ISS of 15 and crude mortality of 12%.…”