A PROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF ORTHOPEDIC PATIENTS EVACUATED FROM OPERATIONS DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT-STORM - THE WALTER REED EXPERIENCE

A prospective review of all orthopedic casualties received from the so uthwest Asia theater of operations during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm was carried out at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. An i njury analysis of the 181 orthopedic patients revealed 143 total fract ures in 69 patients, with the remaining patients sustaining soft tissu e injuries from trauma, overuse, or pre-existing conditions. Seventy p ercent of the fractures were open, of which 23% were treated with exte rnal fixators and 41% eventually underwent an operative stabilization procedure. An analysis of the distribution of injuries is given as wel l as the incidence of amputations, nerve injuries, and arterial injuri es. Early multidisciplinary involvement in the care of these casualtie s proved to be greatly beneficial.