Cold injury in the United States military population: current trends and comparison with past conflicts.

OBJECTIVE

The war in Afghanistan represents the first large-scale conflict involving military troops in a cold, mountainous climate since the Korean War. An analysis was conducted to identify the extent of cold weather injuries, especially frostbite, in the deployed military population.

DESIGN

A retrospective analysis of military databases was conducted with tabulation of all cases of cold-weather injuries in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Casualties reviewed occurred between 2001 and 2009.

SETTING

The 81st Medical Group at Keesler AFB.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 18,214 patients reported in the Joint Theater Trauma Registry (JTTR).

RESULTS

Overall, 19 cases of cold-weather injury were identified in the Afghanistan Conflict. Two cases of frostbite were identified with only 1 likely requiring surgical intervention. No cases were identified in Iraq.

CONCLUSION

The 19 cold-weather injuries represent a dramatic decrease from the 6300 cases of cold-weather injury reported in the last major cold-weather conflict, the Korean War. This decrease results from the shorter and weather-dependent engagements, cold-weather education, and improved equipment of United States and allied personnel.