Injury and Illness Casualty Distributions among U.S. Army and Marine Corps Personnel during Operation Iraqi Freedom

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the distributions of U.S. Marine Corps and Army wounded in action (WIA) and disease and nonbattle injury (DNBI) casualties during Operation Iraqi Freedom Major Combat Phase (OIF-1) and Support and Stability Phase (OIF-2). A retrospective review of hospitalization data was conducted. chi2 tests were used to assess the Primary International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9), diagnostic category distributions by phase of operation, casualty type, and gender. Of the 13,071 casualties identified for analysis, 3,263 were WIA and 9,808 were DNBI. Overall, the proportion of WIA was higher during OIF-1 (36.6%) than OIF-2 (23.6%). Marines had a higher proportion of WIA and nonbattle injuries than soldiers. Although overall DNBI distributions for men and women were statistically different, their distributions of types of nonbattle injuries were similar. Identifying differences in injury and illness distributions by characteristics of the casualty population is necessary for military medical readiness planning.

Epidemiology of psychiatric disorders sustained by a U.S. Army brigade combat team during the Iraq War

“…By studying a large single combat-deployed military maneuver unit, we showed that psychiatric disease is second only to musculoskeletal injuries as a cause for DNBI. Previous research, which relied on evacuation and hospitalization data, found that psychiatric disorders were the fourth to seventh most common cause for DNBI [6,7,12,13]. The differences in our findings are likely explained by the fact that this was a comprehensive analysis of one unit over an entire deployment and included all cases of psychiatric DNBI that were RTD.…”

“…Many recent studies have analyzed the medical aspects of the current Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom Conflicts [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Several of these studies described the medical evacuation (MEDE-VAC) rates out of the combat theater and in-theater hospitalizations, with the finding that a psychiatric disorder was the primary cause in 6% to 8% of all evacuations and hospitalizations, ranking as the fourth to seventh most common etiology for disease and nonbattle injury (DNBI) [6,7,12,13].…”

Unilateral lower-limb loss: Prosthetic device use and functional outcomes in servicemembers from Vietnam war and OIF/OEF conflicts

“…The OIF/OEF group (29.4 ± 6.1) was younger and reported a higher functional level, but it is reassuring that most of the Vietnam group also reported a good level of mobility (only <5% cannot walk) and still considered themselves community walkers. Changes in the type of blast injuries and changes in medical practices may explain why the OIF/OEF group reported more combat injuries and postamputation surgeries and had a higher frequency of TBI [10,[22][23][24]. PTSD is a significant problem associated with 60 to 97 percent of combat injuries, and effective treatments for PTSD remain elusive [25][26].…”

Wheeled mobility: Factors influencing mobility and assistive technology in veterans and servicemembers with major traumatic limb loss from Vietnam war and OIF/OEF conflicts

“…Traumatic injuries such as amputations, spinal cord injuries, burns, and multiple orthopedic and neurological disorders occur in combat operations [1][2]. Many of these injuries result from high concussive force blasts due to improvised explosive devices.…”

“…Many of these injuries result from high concussive force blasts due to improvised explosive devices. Advances in early combat medical care and improvements in vehicle and personal armor are increasing survival rates, leading to increasing numbers of veterans and servicemembers living with a variety of severely disabling conditions [1][2][3][4].…”