During 18 months of the 1991-1992 war against Croatia, 14 persons wounded by antipersonnel mines were admitted to the Department of Surgery at Osijek University Hospital. Twelve had injury of the calcaneal region. Kirschner wires were used for minimal osteosynthesis. Delayed wound closure was performed 14 to 21 days after injury. The methods used were delayed direct closure, split skin-thickness graft, or microvascular free flaps. Osteitis did not develop, and all patients walked with full weight after 1 year.
During 18 months of the 1991/92 war against Croatia, 4,545 injured were treated at the Department of Surgery of Osijek Clinical Hospital. Some, 2,544 (55.9%) sustained shell fragment injuries and 807 (17.8%) bullet injuries. Shell fragments lead to a higher number of polytraumatized patients than did bullets (6.8% versus 5.3%). The postoperative complication rate for fragment injury (5.8%) was significantly higher than that for bullet injury (4.1%). Mortality rate did not differ significantly (3.9% versus 4.5% respectively).
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