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Maxillofacial Ballistic Injuries

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Ryan's Ballistic Trauma

Abstract

Military activity in Afghanistan and Iraq, together with terrorist activity in the UK, has resulted in certain UK centers seeing an increase in casualties with ballistic maxillofacial injuries. In general, it is suggested that military head and neck injuries account for 16% of all battlefield injuries,1 whereas this area accounts for only 12% of the body surface area. Reviews from Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 have suggested that head and neck injury rates may now exceed 20% of all casualties.2 Recent analysis of operative data from a Role 3 Hospital in Afghanistan shows that 19% of all operations on trauma patients were on the head and neck.3 It is suggested that the proportionate increase is due to the effectiveness of body armor and targeting the head and neck by adversaries. However, analysis of cases evacuated to the Role 4 Hospital in Birmingham, reveals that 61% of injuries are due to explosive devices which are non directional, while only 8% were due to gunshot wounds.4 A similar pattern has been seen in many conflicts including the Second World War.5

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Acknowledgments

I am grateful to my maxillofacial colleagues at the University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust for their help in the management of military casualties with ballistic injuries, particularly to Mr. Ian Sharp and Mr. Tim Martin for the use of their cases in this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maxillofacial Surgery, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK

    Andrew Martin Monaghan

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  1. Andrew Martin Monaghan
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Correspondence to Andrew Martin Monaghan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Surgery, Div. Traumatology &, University of Pennsylvania Medical Ctr., Spruce St. 3400, Philadelphia, 19104, Pennsylvania, USA

    Adam J. Brooks

  2. , Academic Department of Military Surgery, Frimley Park Foundation Trust, Surrey, GU16 7UJ, United Kingdom

    Jon Clasper

  3. Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Institute of Research & Development, Acad. Dept. of Military Surgery & Trauma, Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, United Kingdom

    Mark Midwinter

  4. Birmingham Research Park, Acad. Dept. of Military Emergency Med., Vincent Drive, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, United Kingdom

    Timothy J. Hodgetts

  5. Inst. Research & Development, Dept. Military Anaesthesia, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, Vincent Drive, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2SQ, United Kingdom

    Peter F. Mahoney

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© 2011 Springer London

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Monaghan, A.M. (2011). Maxillofacial Ballistic Injuries. In: Brooks, A., Clasper, J., Midwinter, M., Hodgetts, T., Mahoney, P. (eds) Ryan's Ballistic Trauma. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-124-8_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-124-8_27

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-84882-123-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-84882-124-8

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