Blast injuries in children: a mixed-methods narrative review

Experentia Et Progressus: An Experiential Needs Assessment of Military Health care Providers in Treating Pediatric Combat Trauma

INTRODUCTION

Children are among the most vulnerable populations affected by armed conflicts, yet there is limited data on the preparedness of military medical personnel to care for pediatric combat trauma casualties in austere or large-scale combat operations. This study aimed to assess the confidence, training needs, and resource requirements of military medical providers who have managed pediatric patients during deployment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This IRB-exempt, cross-sectional mixed-methods study used a survey created via a modified Delphi method with input from subject matter experts. The survey was distributed to active duty and reservist physicians, nurses, medics, and corpsmen who had previously deployed to combat environments. Respondents answered Likert-style questions anonymously on the SurveyMonkey platform. Data were analyzed using Welch's t-test, with statistical significance defined as P < .05. Qualitative data were coded into discrete themes and summarized.

RESULTS

A total of 84 respondents participated in the survey. Only 27% reported feeling confident or very confident in resuscitating pediatric casualties. Health care providers with prior exposure to pediatric patients reported significantly higher confidence in pediatric trauma resuscitation (P = .02). Key factors contributing to low confidence included difficulty with pediatric medication dosing, anatomical and physiological differences, lack of experience, and insufficient pediatric-specific equipment during deployment. Nearly all respondents with prior pediatric combat trauma experience expressed a desire for additional pediatric-specific predeployment training, with nearly half (47%) advocating for more robust military-civilian trauma center partnerships. Furthermore, 59% of respondents felt they lacked adequate emotional support following negative pediatric events and recommended stronger post-traumatic event debriefing and support mechanisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Many recently deployed military medical providers reported low confidence in resuscitating pediatric patients in the combat environment, because of drug dosing, anatomic and physiologic differences, and inexperience. Regardless of specialty, almost all providers requested additional pediatric training to improve baseline preparedness. These results can guide future predeployment training and inform policy to reduce unnecessary pediatric mortality on the battlefield.

Understanding the burden of injury in children from conflict: an analysis of radiological imaging from a Role 3 hospital in Afghanistan in 2011

INTRODUCTION

There is a need for quality medical care for children injured in conflict, but a description of injuries and injury burden from blast and ballistic mechanisms is lacking. The radiology records of children imaged during the war in Afghanistan represent a valuable source of information about the patterns of paediatric conflict injuries.

METHODS

The UK military radiological database was searched for all paediatric presentations to Camp Bastion during 2011. Reports and original images were reviewed to determine location and severity of injuries sustained. Additional information was obtained from imaging request forms and the Joint Theatre Trauma Register, a database of those treated at UK medical facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

RESULTS

Radiology was available for 219 children. 71% underwent CT scanning. 46% suffered blast injury, 22% gunshot wounds (GSWs), and 32% disease and non-battle injuries (DNBIs). 3% had penetrating head injury, 11% penetrating abdominal trauma and 8% lower limb amputation, rates far exceeding those found in civilian practice. Compared with those with DNBI, those with blast or GSW were more likely to have serious (Abbreviated Injury Score, AIS, ≥3) injuries (median no. AIS ≥3 injuries were 1 for blast, 1 for GSW and 0 for DNBI, p<0.05) and children exposed to blast were more likely to have multiple body regions with serious injuries (OR for multiple AIS ≥3 injuries for blast vs DNBI=5.811 CI [1.877 to 17.993], p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Paediatric conflict injuries are severe, and clinicians used only to civilian practice may be unprepared for the nature and severity of injuries inflicted on children in conflict. Whole-body CT for those with conflict-related injuries, especially blast, is hugely valuable. We recommend that CT is used for paediatric assessment in blast and ballistic incidents and that national imaging guidelines amend the threshold for doing so.

[Features of otosurgery in children after blast injuries]

An explosion is a process that rapidly releases a huge amount of energy in the form of heat, kinetic energy, and high-pressure shock waves. Since the organ of hearing is most susceptible to pressure changes, damage to the sound-conducting or sound-receiving systems is inevitable in case of an explosive injury. This article examines the mechanism of formation of explosive injuries of the middle and inner ear in children and adolescents, the features of diagnosis and tactics of surgical reconstructive treatment of explosive ear injuries based on the data available in the scientific literature and their own experience.

Long-term burden of war injuries among civilians in LMICs: case of the July 2006 war in Lebanon

Introduction

Lebanon, a country located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, is one of the world's smaller sovereign states. In the past few decades, Lebanon endured a perpetual political turmoil and several armed conflicts. July 12, 2006, marked the start of a one-month war in Lebanon, which resulted in thousands of casualties. Little is known about the long-term consequences of war injuries inflicted on civilians during the July 2006 war.

Methods

The objectives of this paper were to identify and evaluate: 1- civilians' access to healthcare and medicine under conditions of war; 2- the long-term socioeconomic burden on injured civilians; and 3- their quality of life more than a decade post-war. We adopted a mixed-method research design with an emphasis on the qualitative component. We conducted interviews with patients, collected clinical and financial data from hospital medical records, and administered a self-rated health questionnaire, the EQ-5D-5L. Simple descriptive statistics were calculated using Excel. NVivo 12® was used for data management and thematic analysis.

Results

We conducted 25 interviews. Injured civilians were mostly males, average age of 27. The most common mechanism of injury was blast injury. Most patients underwent multiple surgeries as well as revision surgeries. The thematic analysis revealed three themes: 1- recall of the time of the incident, the thousand miles journey, and patients' access to services; 2- post-trauma sequelae and services; and 3- long-term impact. Patients described the long-term burden including chronic pain, poor mobility, anxiety or depression, and limited activities of daily living.

Discussion

Civilians injured during the July 2006 war described the traumatising events they endured during the war and the limited access to medical care during and post-war. Up until this study was conducted, affected civilians were still experiencing physical, psychological, and financial sequelae. Acknowledging the limitations of this study, which include a small sample size and recall bias, the findings underscore the necessity for the expansion of services catering to civilians injured during wartime.

Secondary blast injury: radiological characteristics of shrapnel injuries in children

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to examine the radiological images of child victims suffering from secondary blast injuries, to reveal organ-based injury patterns and their interrelationships, and to record mortality rates that may develop due to injured systems.

METHODS

A total of 65 patients with secondary blast injury due to bomb explosion were included in the study. Injury findings due to shrapnel in radiologic images of the patients were examined. Injured systems and types of injuries were recorded.

RESULTS

The most common injuries were intra-abdominal injuries (63%) and fractures (58.5%). Lung injury was observed in 4 (9.8%) of 41 patients with intra-abdominal injury, while 37 (90.2%) did not, and this was statistically significant (p = 0.003). The most common intra-abdominal organ injury was a small bowel injury in 23 (35.4%) patients. The coexistence of small bowel injury and large bowel injury was present in 8 patients (34.8%), and it was statistically significant (p = 0.019). A total of 14 (21.5%) of the patients died. There was no significant relationship between mortality and gender (p = 319). Brain damage was present in 10 (71.4%) of the 14 (21.5%) patients who died, which was statistically significant (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our results showed that the most common injuries were intra-abdominal injuries, damage to different organs could occur at the same time, and deaths were especially associated with brain injuries. For this reason, it should not be forgotten that CT scans will have an important place in the triage of the patient, especially in victims with shrapnel at the abdominal and cranial levels in radiography examinations.

Pediatric Casualties in Terrorist Attacks: A Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Global Events

BACKGROUND

Terrorism remains a major threat and concern in many countries around the world. Pediatric populations represent approximately 30% of the world population, and in the event of a terrorist attack, can either be primary targets, to include the possibility of abduction, or unintended victims. They are unique in their vulnerabilities and, therefore, require special consideration.

METHODS

This study is a semi-quantitative, epidemiological analysis of all terrorism-related pediatric fatalities and injuries sustained from 1970-2019. Data collection was performed using a retrospective database search through the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). Summaries of events including search terms associated with pediatric population were individually reviewed and those describing the deaths, injuries, or abductions were tallied.

RESULTS

Of the over 200,000 terror events, 2,302 events met inclusion criteria. This represented 1.14% of total events which involved death, injury, or abduction. Of 2,032 events, a total of 2,275 pediatric fatal injuries (FI) were recorded, as well as 2,280 pediatric non-fatal injuries (NFI). The most common weapons used in all attacks involving the pediatric population were explosives (1,539 [66.8%]), firearms (543 [23.5%]), other (169 [7.3%]), and melee (83 [3.6%]). A total of 275 of the 2,032 events were related to abductions, with 71 cases involving the abduction of 10 individuals or more.

CONCLUSION

Pediatric casualties in terrorist events represent a small proportion of overall victims. However, it should be understood that the pediatric population has unique vulnerabilities, and when directly impacted by terrorism, can have long-term physical and psychosocial sequelae, as well as a devastating emotional impact on the community.

The sensitivity of chest X-ray (CXR) for the detection of significant thoracic injury in children exposed to blast

INTRODUCTION

Thoracic trauma is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children exposed to blast and early recognition of these injuries is vital. While numerous studies have investigated the sensitivity of chest X-ray (CXR) for the detection of chest injury in blunt trauma, none have evaluated its performance in paediatric blast injury.

METHODS

CXR and Computed Tomography (CT) thorax findings were compared for 105 children who were injured by blast and presented to the UK Role 3 Hospital, Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, during the recent conflict in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013. CXR performance was evaluated compared to the 'gold standard' of CT for the detection of significant thoracic injuries, defined as pneumothorax, haemothorax, aortic or great vessel injury, 2 or more rib fractures, ruptured diaphragm, sternal fracture, penetrating fragments and pulmonary contusion or laceration.

RESULTS

The sensitivity of CXR for the detection of significant injuries was: pneumothorax 43%, haemothorax 40%, contusion 44%, laceration 100%, blast lung 80% and subdermal metallic fragments 75%. CXR missed all cases of diaphragm injury, ≥2 rib fractures, clavicle fracture and pleural effusion, although numbers of each were small. Specificity for CXR injury detection was 94% for contusion and 93% for fragment, and 100% otherwise. The sensitivity and specificity of CXR for identifying an abnormality that would prompt CT imaging was 72% (95% CI 55-85%) and 82% (95% CI 70-90%).

CONCLUSIONS

CXR has a poor sensitivity for the identification of significant thoracic injury in children exposed to blast. We argue that, given the challenge of clinical assessment of injured children and the potential for serious adverse consequences of missed thoracic injuries, there should be a low threshold for the use of CT chest in the evaluation of children exposed to blast.

Strengthening the emergency health response to children wounded by explosive weapons in conflict

The 2022 war in Ukraine has highlighted the unacceptable consequences wrought on civilians and health infrastructure by conflict. Children are among the most vulnerable of those affected and constitute an increasing percentage of non-combatants injured in conflicts globally. A disproportionate number of these injuries are caused by blast mechanisms from munitions including ‘conventional’ landmines and indiscriminate explosive weapons such as barrel bombs and improvised explosive devices. In 21st century conflict, children are no longer only accidental casualties of war, but are increasingly targeted by parties through acts such as bombing of school buses and playgrounds, conscription as child soldiers, and use as human shields. In the present viewpoint article, we review the state of pediatric blast injury studies, synthesizing current understandings of injury epidemiology and identifying gaps in research to advance the field towards a concrete agenda to improve care for this vulnerable population.

Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: An Update on Preclinical Models, Clinical Biomarkers, and the Implications of Cerebrovascular Dysfunction

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality. Recent studies suggest that children and adolescents have worse post-TBI outcomes and take longer to recover than adults. However, the pathophysiology and progression of TBI in the pediatric population are studied to a far lesser extent compared to the adult population. Common causes of TBI in children are falls, sports/recreation-related injuries, non-accidental trauma, and motor vehicle-related injuries. A fundamental understanding of TBI pathophysiology is crucial in preventing long-term brain injury sequelae. Animal models of TBI have played an essential role in addressing the knowledge gaps relating to pTBI pathophysiology. Moreover, a better understanding of clinical biomarkers is crucial to diagnose pTBI and accurately predict long-term outcomes. This review examines the current preclinical models of pTBI, the implications of pTBI on the brain's vasculature, and clinical pTBI biomarkers. Finally, we conclude the review by speculating on the emerging role of the gut-brain axis in pTBI pathophysiology.

Long-Term Outcome Following Decompressive Craniectomy in Pediatric Penetrating Blast Brain Injury; a Prospective Study

Background: Brain penetrating blast injury is a leading cause of early death due to excessively elevated intracranial pressure (ICP), culminating in trans-tentorial herniation. The role of craniectomy to decrease ICP and secondary injuries has been controversial particularly in pediatric patients. Three cases of pediatric penetrating blast injuries undergoing decompressive craniectomy are reported in Methods: The current study was a prospective series, including fifteen cases of pediatric blast-related brain injury referred to the emergency ward during a period of two years. Three survived patients had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) of four along with anisocoric pupillary light reflex (PLR). Decompressive craniectomy and ventriculostomy (EVD) were performed. The patients underwent ICP monitoring for two weeks. Results: Early postoperative GCS (5 days) was 7/15 in all three patients. Two weeks and one month’s GCS were 9 and 14, respectively. After three months, cranioplasty was performed. Long-term follow-up detected no major motor deficits after one year and was associated with excellent school performance. Neuroplasticity resulted in contralateral dominancy and handedness in one case. Conclusions: Survivors of pediatric blast brain injury had a favorable outcome after decompressive craniectomy in the current paper. However, there was a limited number of patients, and the results could not be generalized. Further research in this regard with larger sample size is recommended.

Learning from terrorist mass casualty incidents: a global survey

BACKGROUND

Reports published directly after terrorist mass casualty incidents frequently fail to capture difficulties that may have been encountered. An anonymised consensus-based platform may enable discussion and collaboration on the challenges faced. Our aim was to identify where to focus improvement for future responses.

METHODS

We conducted a mixed methods study by email of clinicians' experiences of leading during terrorist mass casualty incidents. An initial survey identified features that worked well, or failed to, during terrorist mass casualty incidents plus ongoing challenges and changes that were implemented as a result. A follow-up, quantitative survey measured agreement between responses within each of the themes using a Likert scale.

RESULTS

Thirty-three participants responded from 22 hospitals that had received casualties from a terrorist incident, representing 17 cities in low-middle, middle and high income countries. The first survey identified themes of sufficient (sometimes abundant) human resource, although coordination of staff was a challenge. Difficulties highlighted were communication, security, and management of blast injuries. The most frequently implemented changes were education on specific injuries, revising future plans and preparatory exercises. Persisting challenges were lack of time allocated to training and psychological well-being. The follow-up survey recorded highest agreement amongst correspondents on the need for re-triage at hospital (90% agreement), coordination roles (85% agreement), flexibility (100% agreement), and large-scale exercises (95% agreement).

CONCLUSION

This survey collates international experience gained from clinicians managing terrorist mass casualty incidents. The organisation of human response, rather than consumption of physical supplies, emerged as the main finding. NHSH Clinical Effectiveness Unit project registration number: 2020/21-036.

Ball of Death: A Fatal Case Report on Accidental Death of a Child After Crude Bomb Explosion

ABSTRACT

Crude bombs are country-made explosive weapons, usually prepared from locally available materials such as firecrackers or explosives used in mines. These are generally concealed inside the fruits, such as jackfruit, pineapple, and watermelon, to kill wild boars or other animals by poachers in India. Occasionally, crude bombs are remodeled resembling fruit or a ball and placed on the fields, where animals usually raid their crops. Such crude bombs may result in accidental explosions and contribute to the death of unintended targets, including humans. Despite these sporadic incidents reported in media, scientific data are lacking. Here, we report a young child who sustained injuries after an accidental explosion of such a crude bomb. It exploded when the child apparently mistook it for a ball and grasped it firmly while playing with his brother. This case is the first to report the accidental death of a child after the crude bomb's fatal explosion to the best of our knowledge. This report also briefly overviews the emerging menace of crude bombs in India.

An Analysis of Intracranial Hemorrhage in Wartime Pediatric Casualties

BACKGROUND

Children make up a significant cohort of patients treated at combat support hospitals. Where traumatic head injury, including intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), is well studied in military adults, such research is lacking regarding pediatric patients. We seek to describe the incidence and outcomes of ICH within this population.

METHODS

This is a secondary analysis of a previously published dataset from the Department of Defense Trauma Registry for all pediatric casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan from January 2007 to January 2016. Within our dataset, we searched for casualties with an ICH.

RESULTS

Of the 3439 pediatric encounters in our dataset, we identified 495 (14%) casualties that had at least 1 type of ICH. Most were between 5 and 12 years of age, male (74%), and injured by an explosive (42%). Of the casualties with ICHs, 82 had epidural (16.6%), 237 had subdural (47.9%), 153 had subarachnoid (30.9%), 157 had parenchymal bleeds (31.7%), and 239 had ICHs not otherwise specified (48.3%). In the hospital setting, the epidural group was more frequently treated with skull decompression (41%) and craniotomy with skull elevation (28%). The subdural group was more frequently treated with a craniectomy (17%) and the parenchymal group had more frequent intracranial pressure monitoring (18%). In our dataset, 22 received ketamine prehospital (4.4%) and most were discharged alive from the hospital (79%).

CONCLUSIONS

Within our dataset, we identified 495 cases of ICH in pediatric patients. Most survived to hospital discharge despite less than half undergoing a decompression procedure.

Arms sales and child health

The adverse effects of armed conflict on child health are well recognised. The relationships among the arms trade, armed conflict and child health are less clearly defined. The arms trade is one of the largest industries in the world (total expenditure US$1917 billion in 2019), generating colossal profits to private companies and individuals at the expense of taxpayers throughout the world. The money wasted on weapons designed to kill and maim should be used for more socially useful products, such as clean water, food, health and education. The sustainable development goals can be funded by diverting money from the arms companies. Health professionals and their organisations have a responsibility to children to try and curb the ever-expanding arms industry.