Landmine Injuries: Treatment and Rehabilitation

Background: Although landmines are considered important for border defense, they pose considerable danger to unintended targets, especially civilians living in conflict and post-conflict zones. Civilian facilities are, therefore, increasingly seeing patients presenting with landmine injuries. Method...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inFunctional neurology, rehabilitation, and ergonomics Vol. 6; no. 3; p. 153
Main Authors Biswas, Seema, Peleg, Kobi, Clond, Morgan, Radomislensky, Irina, Veen, Harald, Bala, Miklosh, Izakson, Alexander, Solomonov, Evgeny, Lerner, Alexander
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Hauppauge Nova Science Publishers, Inc 01.07.2016
Subjects
Amputation
Antibiotics
Disability
Fatalities
Hospitals
Injuries
Land mines
Mines
Rehabilitation
Sepsis
Trauma
Golan Heights
Israel
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Background: Although landmines are considered important for border defense, they pose considerable danger to unintended targets, especially civilians living in conflict and post-conflict zones. Civilian facilities are, therefore, increasingly seeing patients presenting with landmine injuries. Method: The number of patients with landmine injuries treated across Israel was identified by searching the records of the Israeli National Center for Trauma and Emergency Medicine Research at the Gertner Institute. Clinical data of patients with landmine injury treated at Ziv Medical Center were analyzed. Results: ITNR for landmine injuries managed in Israeli health facilities from 1997 to 2013 show that in that period 23 patients were admitted to hospitals across the country. Almost all injuries were to the limbs. Only 4 patients were transferred to dedicated rehabilitation centers. Guidelines on the management of landmine injuries were put together from the over 30 years' experience in dealing with war related injuries at Ziv Medical center and our case series of patients with landmine injuries. Conclusions: The number of civilians with mine injuries is significant in both conflict and post-conflict areas. Expertise is needed in the management of these complex injuries in both civilian and military facilities. Clinical relevance: By studying cases of landmine injuries across the country and drawing up management guidelines appropriate to civilian centers, war surgery expertise may be shared with those working in civilian rehabilitation facilities.
ISSN:2156-941X
2374-0566