Characteristics of those who sustained wartime cardiothoracic injuries: Yemen war casualty reports

Context
During the ongoing Yemen war, the atrocity had produced several penetrating thoracic injuries and blunt as well, ranging from majors to minors and commonest to rarest.
Aims
The aim was to find the best way for management of wartime thoracic injuries, depending on the different war casualty reports.
Settings and design
This was a retrospective observational study that included data of patients with cardiothoracic injuries who were received, evacuated, referred, and admitted to Najran regional medical facility ‘King Khalid hospital.’
Patients and methods
The authors analyzed the data of 159 patients who sustained cardiothoracic war wounds and were evacuated or referred to our hospital between January 2016 and June 2016.
Statistical analysis used
The statistical analysis for this study was performed with SPSS version 21 (IBM, Armonk, New York, United States). Continuous variable data were expressed as mean±SD. A test was used for categorical variables. Statistical significance was set at values of less than 0.05.
Results
There were 46 (28.9%) patients with pure lung injuries, four (2.51%) patients with pure cardiac injuries, and 109 (68.5%) patients with mixed injuries. The scope of management of the presented cases ranged from chest drainage only in 63 (39.62%) patients; thoracotomy, evacuation of hemothorax, and suture of the lung tear in five (3.14%) patients; lobectomy in two (1.25%) patients; and decortication in four (2.51%) patients. The mortality rate was three (1.9%), and complications were reported in nine (5.7%) in the form of empyema, wound infection, arrhythmia, and lung collapse.
Conclusion
Cardiothoracic wounds are the most serious injuries in wartime, but despite their nature, those who sustained these injuries could be managed through vigilant surgical service, with low mortality or morbidity.