Better be prepared: the spectrum of neuropsychiatric impairment among Libyan war victims transferred to Germany for trauma rehabilitation

Traumatic injuries and outcomes during the Libyan Civil War: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

The Libyan Civil War (LCW) is an ongoing internal armed conflict that started as a peaceful protest in February 2011, resulting in a power vacuum after the regime collapsed and an uncontrolled spread of arms, which caused a significant increase in violence and trauma. Our review aims to investigate the war-related epidemiology and mortality in patients who have been injured during this conflict.

METHODS

A systematic review was undertaken according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published between February 2011 and May 2024. Studies were included if they involved patients with trauma during the LCW and outcomes of interest were type and anatomical distribution of injuries and mortality. Certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies met the eligibility criteria, with a total sample size of 4665 patients. There were seven studies (n=4378 patients) that reported mortality rate, with 438 (10%) who died. 13 out of the 14 studies documented the mechanism of injury of their participants with a total number of 4543 injuries, most commonly from firearm-related trauma (60.3%). 12 studies recorded the anatomical distribution of their sample of 4123 anatomical sites, with extremities being the most affected part, accounting for 54.5% of injuries.

CONCLUSION

The LCW has caused a high burden of morbidity and mortality among the Libyan population. This review provides an insight into the adverse health consequences of this active war and highlights the difficulties in collecting reliable information on the wounded during conflicts.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42024527289.

Evaluation of follow-up and long-term outcomes of gunshot and stab wounds in a French civilian population

PURPOSE

The data concerning long-term follow-up and outcomes of penetrating trauma are poorly detailed in the literature. The main objective of our study was to analyze the hospital and extra-hospital follow-up of penetrating trauma victims and to evaluate the late complications and long-term consequences of these traumas.

METHODS

This work was a retrospective longitudinal monocentric observational study conducted at Laveran Military Hospital, from January 2007 to January 2017. All patients hospitalized for gunshot wound or stab wound management during this period were identified via a retrospective systematic query in the hospital information system using the ICD-10 codes. Epidemiological data, traumatism characteristics, hospital management, follow-up and traumatism consequences (i.e., persistent disability) were analyzed. To improve evaluation of traumatism long-term consequences, extra-hospital follow-up data from general physicians (GP) were collected by phone call. During this interview, 9 closed questions were asked to the GP. The survey evaluated: the date of the last consultation related to injury with the GP, the specific follow-up carried out by the GP, traumatism consequences, and recurrence of traumatism. Descriptive, univariate and multivariate with regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A total number of 165 patients were included. Median (Q1, Q3) of hospital follow-up was 28 (4, 66) days. One hundred one patients (61.2%) went to their one-month consultation at hospital. GP follow-up was achieved for 76 patients (55.2%). Median (Q1, Q3) of GP follow-up was 47 (21, 75) months. Twenty-four patients (14.5%) have been totally lost to follow up. The overall follow-up identified 54 patients (32.7%) with long-term consequences, 20 being psychiatric disorders and 30 organic injuries. Organic consequences were mainly peripheral nerve damages (n = 20; 12.1%). Most of the psychiatric consequences were diagnosed during GP follow-up (n = 14; 70%). Seventeen cases (10.3%) of recurrence were found and late mortality occurred in 4 patients (2.4%). High injury severity score, older age and gunshot wound were significantly linked to long-term consequences. Data collection and analysis were carried out in accordance with MR004 reference methodology.

CONCLUSION

This study showed a high rate of long-term consequences among patients managed for penetrating injury. If all organic lesions are diagnosed during hospital follow-up and jointly managed by hospital and extra-hospital physicians, most socio-psychiatric consequences were detected and followed by extra-hospital workers. However, for half of the patients, the extra-hospital follow-up could not be assessed. Thus, these consequences are very probably underestimated. It appears imperative to strengthen the compliance and adherence of these patients to the care network. Awareness and involvement of medical, paramedical teams and GP role seems essential to screen and manage these consequences.