THE EVOLVING PATTERN OF WAR-RELATED INJURIES FROM THE AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT

This is a retrospective study of 922 victims of the Afghanistan war ad mitted to Mekkah Mukarramah Surgical Hospital, a 120-bed hospital, fro m April 1987 to April 1989. The range and extent of war-related injuri es were reviewed. The lower limbs were the most common site of injurie s. The ratio of critical-area wounds (trunk, head, and neck) to extrem ity wounds was 0.17, which reflects the lack of early emergency medica l care for the wounded. This ratio can be used to monitor and evaluate the efficiency of the evacuation plans in a war situation.