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Specificities of Surgery in Time of Armed Conflict or Natural Disaster

Specificities of Surgery in Time of Armed Conflict or Natural Disaster. Christos Giannou Advanced Course in the Management of Disaster Victims Nicosia, October 2011. Understand what you are getting into BEFORE you go.

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Specificities of Surgery in Time of Armed Conflict or Natural Disaster

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  1. Specificities of Surgery inTime of Armed Conflict orNatural Disaster Christos Giannou Advanced Course in the Management of Disaster Victims Nicosia, October 2011

  2. Understand what you are getting into BEFOREyou go.

  3. Natural disaster, accident, isolated explosionOne-off event:surprise, warning WarSuccessive events: NO surprise, political build-up

  4. Rights and obligations of Medical Personnel • Specific epidemiology of war (constant) / disaster (variable) • Predominance of emergency surgery (especially during early tactical field care) • Surgery within a limited technical environment • Limits of surgery: post-operative nursing + anaesthesia • Surgery in a hostile, violent environment

  5. Mass casualties involving the principles of triage • Surgery and triage in successive echelons (delayed evacuation) • Specific wound pathology, qualitatively different from civilian wounds: ballistics & blast; all are dirty and contaminated • Specific techniques appropriate to the context and pathology: simplicity, security, speed • Importance of disease: disease is four times more common than trauma among soldiers; disaster public health approach

  6. Rights and obligations of Medical Personnel • Specific epidemiology of war (constant) / disaster (variable) • Predominance of emergency surgery (especially during early tactical field care) • Surgery within a limited technical environment • Limits of surgery: post-operative nursing + anaesthesia • Surgery in a hostile, violent environment

  7. Medical Ethics Oath of Hippocrates: International Code of Medical Ethics: WMA 1949 London, 2006 Pilanesberg S. Africa

  8. International Humanitarian Law: laws of war • Geneva Conventions 1949 • Additional Protocol I 1977

  9. Rights and obligations of International Humanitarian Law: laws of war • Specific epidemiology of war (constant) / disaster (variable) • Predominance of emergency surgery • Surgery within a limited technical environment • Limits of surgery: post-operative nursing + anaesthesia • Surgery in a hostile, violent environment

  10. War wounded in the field: epidemiology WW in the field (GSW, mine, blast) 100 wounded 40-60 % 40-60 % No surgery Hospital care First Aid 90% Surgery 10% NO Surgery Dressing 10-15% Head Small wounds 10-12% Chest Paraplegia Tetraplegia 8-10% Abdomen 60-70% Limbs Observation

  11. War wounded: causes of death • Severe injury (brain, major vessels) • Haemorrhage: peripheral • Airway, breathing • Coagulopathy, acidosis, hypothermia / multiple system failure

  12. Natural disaster: context • Earthquake • demographic density • type of construction • access: rural or urban • Tsunami • Storm / flooding • Neighbourhood nuclear plant

  13. Epidemiology of disaster wounded:collapse of 8-storey building China • 80% of entrapped died immediately or early • 10% survived with minor injuries • 10% severe injuries • of which 70% developed crush syndrome

  14. Earthquake Survival Rate:% survivors still alive without extraction

  15. Earthquake: causes of death • Immediate: severe crush of head or thorax (organ damage + suffocation) • Early: ABC • Delayed: dehydration, hypothermia • Late: crush syndrome (acute renal failure), sepsis, multiple organ failure

  16. Rights and obligations of International Humanitarian Law: laws of war • Specific epidemiology of war (constant) / disaster (variable) • Predominance of emergency surgery • Surgery within a limited technical environment • Limits of surgery: post-operative nursing + anaesthesia • Surgery in a hostile, violent environment

  17. Specificities of austere environments • Damaged infrastructure (water, electricity) • Lack of experienced human resources: competency, fatigue, fear • Lack of equipment and supplies: appropriate • Lack of blood for transfusion • "Humanitarian circus" and military-civilian cooperation • Culture shock

  18. Norwegian RC field hospital: ERU post-tsunami Banda Aceh

  19. Field Surgical Team Darfur

  20. Recycling of a prison

  21. Somali Red Crescent Society: No State

  22. Shatilla refugee camp 1987

  23. Understanding the limits • simplicity of diagnostic means available • laboratory: Hb/Hct, blood grouping & screening • anaesthesia (local, regional, ketamine) • availability of blood (no components): autotransfusion • patient monitoring (BP, P, O2 saturation) • post-operative nursing care Heroic surgery will never replace good surgery.

  24. Clinical skills • Lucky if you have X-rays • Chest tube & laparotomy on clinical basis alone (no DPL) • No place for CPR, ER thoracotomy • Limited- or non- use of endotracheal intubation, no mechanical ventilation • Proper indications and use of damage control techniques • Will you see your patient again? • Category IV? supportive treatment

  25. Always plan for alternatives: • infrastructure • equipment • communications • supplies, logistics • human resources

  26. Rights and obligations of International Humanitarian Law: laws of war • Specific epidemiology of war (constant) / disaster (variable) • Predominance of emergency surgery • Surgery within a limited technical environment • Limits of surgery: post-operative nursing + anaesthesia • Surgery in a hostile, violent environment

  27. Hostile, violent environment

  28. Mass casualties involving the principles of triage • Surgery and triage in successive echelons (delayed evacuation) • Specific wound pathology, qualitatively different from civilian wounds: ballistics & blast; all are dirty and contaminated • Specific techniques appropriate to the context and pathology: simplicity, security, speed • Importance of disease: disease is four times more common than trauma among soldiers; disaster public health approach

  29. Triage Everyday work MCI MAD

  30. Mass casualties involving the principles of triage • Surgery and triage in successive echelons (delayed evacuation) • Specific wound pathology, qualitatively different from civilian wounds: ballistics & blast; all are dirty and contaminated • Specific techniques appropriate to the context and pathology: simplicity, security, speed • Importance of disease: disease is four times more common than trauma among soldiers; disaster public health approach

  31. Old lessons for new surgeons War / disaster wounds are dirty and contaminated, from the moment of injury.The rules of septic surgery apply.

  32. Principles of septic surgery The best antibiotic is good surgery.

  33. Mass casualties involving the principles of triage • Surgery and triage in successive echelons (delayed evacuation) • Specific wound pathology, qualitatively different from civilian wounds: ballistics & blast; all are dirty and contaminated • Specific techniques appropriate to the context and pathology: simplicity, security, speed • Importance of disease: disease is four times more common than trauma among soldiers; disaster public health approach

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