Characteristics of head injuries based on the specific nature of military conflicts

Abstract

Head injuries are among the most serious and severe types of trauma in both peacetime and wartime conditions. This article examines head injuries sustained during various large-scale military conflicts and identifies correlations between the localization and nature of injuries, the tactics of combat operations, the weapons used, and the terrain features. This analysis is particularly relevant in light of the ongoing special military operation and may be utilized in the development of individual protective gear and strategies for treating head injuries in field hospitals.

The article incorporates scientific and specialized literature sourced from eLibrary, ResearchGate, CyberLeninka, and PubMed. A statistical and systemic-structural analysis of the literature was performed using methods such as description, comparison, generalization, and hypothesis formulation. The authors analyzed the Syrian Civil War, as well as the military operations “Iraqi Freedom” and “Enduring Freedom.” Average injury characteristics were derived and classified into groups based on the type of affected structures for better visualization. We revealed that the nature of head injuries varies significantly depending on the specifics of the military conflict. However, the most commonly affected areas in any conflict remain the lower and upper jaw, the orbit, and the nasal region.

This article makes a significant contribution to medical research and may be of value to military physicians as well as researchers and engineers involved in the design and improvement of individual protective gear.

Keywords

injuries / wounds / explosion / gunshot wound / blast injuries / damaging factors

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