[HIGH VELOCITY PENETRATING HEAD AND NECK INJURIES OF SYRIAN CIVIL WAR CASUALTIES TREATED IN THE GALILEE MEDICAL CENTER].

INTRODUCTION

For two years the State of Israel has been treating casualties from the Syrian civil war. The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya is the main hospital for this humanitarian mission.

Objectives

To evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of the casualties that were treated in our department.

METHODS

Information from medical records of all Syrian casualties evacuated to the Galilee Medical Center were evaluated.

RESULTS

Between March 2013 and December 2014, 450 casualties were evacuated to the Galilee Medical Center. Of those, 45 were treated in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Of the 45 cases, 43 were male (95.5%) and the mean age was 30.4 years (range 1-79 years). There was a significant difference in terms of gender (p <0.0001). The majority of cases (42.1%) were aged 21-27 years. The most common cause of injury was a gunshot wound. Thirty five patients (77.7%) suffered from multiple trauma, and complex injuries of the maxillofacial bones and upper respiratory tract. Eight (18%) of the cases arrived at the medical center with a tracheotomy. The average length of hospital stay was 15 days (range: 1-141). Of the 450 cases, 97.3% were discharged back to Syria, and 12 died.

CONCLUSIONS

Of all Syrian injured treated in the ENT department, the vast majority were young men. The main cause of injury was gunshot wounds.

DISCUSSION: It is likely that the lack of protective gear that exist in western armies is a factor in the complex injuries treated at the Galilee Medical Center.