THE SCOPE OF THIS REPORr is a disctussion of the thoraco-abdominal casualty in the Forward Hospital, with a presentation of the available data fromll 903 case records of the 2nd Auxiliary Surgical Group during I943, I944 and 1945. The thoraco-abdominal wound is defined in this report as a wound produced by a missile perforating the diaphragm with entrance into the pleural and peritoneal cavities. Casualties, in which the pleural cavity and peritoneum have been entered by separate missiles without injury to the diaphragm, have leen excluded. However, a wound of the so-called "bare area" of the liver, incurred by a fragment entering through the chest and diaphragm has been considered a true thoraco-abdominal wound. A comparison of the incidence of the thoraco-abdominal wound with respect to all abdominal wounds is of interest. During the period covered by this report, 3,532 operations uponl abdominal wounds of all types were performed. The thoraco-abdoninlal wound comiprised 25.5%o of this group of abdomiiinal cases. The great majority of casualties presented are Infantrymen of the U. S. Army and of the Wehrmiiacht, with a scattered number of Allied British and French soldiers, and a few civilians. The age factor, then, is of little significance, because, of necessity these miien were in the young healthy adult male group.
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