Injuries From Roadside Improvised Explosive Devices

• DOI: 10.1097/ta.0b013e3181848cf6
• Publication Date: 2008-10-06T07:09:48Z
• Authors: Arul Ramasamy; Stuart E. Harrisson; Jon C. Clasper; Michael P.M. Stewart
• Keywords: Rifle

After the invasion of Iraq in April 2003, coalition forces have remained country a bid to maintain stability and support local security forces. The improvised explosive device (IED) has been widely used by insurgents is leading cause death injury among Coalition troops region.From January 2006, data were prospectively collected on 100 consecutive casualties who either injured or killed hostile action. Mechanism injury, new Injury Severity Score (NISS), International Classification Disease-9th edition diagnosis, anatomic pattern wounding, operative management recorded trauma registry. weapon incident reports analyzed ascertain type IED employed.Of action, 53 IEDs 23 incidents (mean 2.3 per incident). Twenty-one (91.3%) employed formed projectile (EFP) type. Twelve (22.6%) died wounds. Median NISS score survivors was 3 (range, 1-50). All fatalities sustained unsurvivable injuries with 75. Primary blast seen only 2 (3.8%) thermal 8 (15.1%). Twenty (48.7%) underwent surgery British surgeons field hospital. At 18 months follow, all but one United Kingdom Service personnel had returned military employment.The profile EFP-IEDs does not follow traditional conventional high explosives. uncommon despite being close proximity explosion. When EFP-IED detonated, EFP produced results catastrophic caught its path, causes relatively minor sited adjacent trajectory. Improvements vehicle protection may prevent from entering passenger compartments thereby reduce fatalities.