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- Title
Triage of mass casualties in war conditions: realities and lessons learned.
- Authors
Rigal, Sylvain; Pons, François
- Abstract
Purpose: The authors made a retrospective analysis of three triage situations of war wounded in Chad and Rwanda in which mass casualties overwhelmed available medical facilities. Methods: The triage classification is based on the waiting period for surgery. The categories are: extreme, first, second and third emergencies, expectant, walking wounded. Results: In Chad, 23 wounded adults were received in 24 hours, and 19 were operated up on within 48 hours. In Rwanda 1, 94 wounded were received in two hours, of whom 68 were operated upon, 23 on the first day. In Rwanda 2, 59 wounded were received in 12 hours, treatment of extreme and first emergencies required 48 hours, while second and third emergencies were treated during the three following days. Conclusions: These episodes were very different when considering the setting, the number of casualties, the type of wounds, the logistical and medical difficulties. The authors report the difficulties faced and the lessons learned.
- Subjects
MEDICAL triage; MASS casualties; WAR casualties; WAITING period; HEALTH facilities; RETROSPECTIVE studies
- Publication
International Orthopaedics, 2013, Vol 37, Issue 8, p1433
- ISSN
0341-2695
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00264-013-1961-y