Analysis of Evacuations From Areas of Operation to the Spanish Role 4 Medical Treatment Facility (2008–2013)

Abstract

Since 1987, the Spanish Armed Forces have deployed their troops in a multitude of conflicts and natural disasters worldwide. The Spanish Military Medical Corps has the ability to deploy Role 1, Role 2, and one Role 3 medical treatment facilities. It also has a Role 4 in operation, the "Gómez Ulla" Central Hospital of Defense, in Madrid. The aim of this study is to describe the type of Spanish casualties evacuated from different areas of operation to the Role 4 from 2008 to 2013. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of 232 patients. Among these, 211 (91%) were noncombat casualties: 126 because of illness, 53 because of an accident, and 32 because of sports injuries. The remaining 21 (9%) were combat casualties: 11 from improvised explosive devices and 10 from gunfire. Afghanistan, followed by Lebanon, is the operational area where most evacuees originate. The authors consider it essential that the Spanish Armed Forces rely on a Role 4 medical treatment facility as part of their medical support to international operations.

Reasons for medical evacuations of soldiers serving in International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation in Afghanistan

“…Authors of this paper have observed an even greater disproportion in the morbidity and traumatic profiles between Polish and Spanish military personnel. The research study conducted by Suay et al [7] focusing on 232 Spanish soldiers who were medically evacuated from operational areas (mostly from Afghanistan: 47% and Lebanon: 19%) to Spain (Central Hospital of Defence in Madrid, Role 4) between 2008 and 2013 indicated that 91% of the soldiers required medical evacuation out of the theatre due to diseases and non-battle injuries (diseases: 54%, traffic accident injuries: 23%, sports injuries: 14%). Battle injuries were the cause of only 9% of all medical evacuations (5% were due to shell fragment wounds suffered in IED explosions, 4% were due to gunshot wounds).…”

“…Battle injuries were the cause of only 9% of all medical evacuations (5% were due to shell fragment wounds suffered in IED explosions, 4% were due to gunshot wounds). Other than combat-related causes of medical evacuations included psychiatric disorders, such as adaptation disorders, anxiety, and depression (12%), cardiovascular diseases (9%), gynaecological diseases/ /conditions (7%), neurological (6%), gastrointestinal (6%), urogenital diseases (5%) [7].…”