Multi-trauma in Afghanistan, a pictorial essay
Multiple trauma with serious injuries due to highvelocity gunshot wounds, improvised explosive devices and burns can be the norm rather than the exception in certain areas of Afghanistan. The number of victims often temporarily overwhelms the capacity of both smaller and larger medical facilities, and become by definition mass casualties. This situation can be further complicated by the presence of up to four different languages being spoken at any one time by victims and medical staff, different medical systems, different medical terminology, different medical equipment and different drug names.
The victim’s cultural norms can also add complexity to trauma management, along with delayed presentations, and the presence of paediatric trauma is a further challenge to Australian medical officers who have no formal military training in paediatrics.
The author shares his experience of six weeks working with the Dutch medical facility at Tarin Kowt and the Canadian led multinational medical facility at Kandahar. This will include point of wounding details, evacuation, resuscitation and aeromedical evacuation, along with medical leadership issues. Notable cases include an IED incident involving own (Dutch) troops – highlighting the emotional factor when the victims are well known to the medical staff,
paediatric airway burns and an overwhelming mass casualty due to a helicopter crash – with 14 priority one casualties presenting to the facility.
