WASHINGTON, Sept. 21, 2011 – The Army Surgeon General’s Office released its report yesterday on dismounted complex blast injuries, which more than twice as many service members have suffered annually since the 2009 troop surge in Afghanistan.
Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Joseph Caravalho Jr., commander of the Army’s Northern Regional Medical Command, detailed the report’s findings to reporters here.
The injury pattern known as DCBI, Caravalho said, is typically caused by a mine or roadside-bomb explosion, affects troops on foot patrol, and involves traumatic amputation of one leg, at least a severe injury to the other leg, and wounds to any or all of the pelvis, abdomen and genitals
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Army Surgeon General Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker charted a task force in 2011 to study the injury pattern, Caravalho said. The group, which Caravalho chaired, included experts from the Army, Marine Corps and Veterans Affairs Department, who examined the causes, prevention, protection, treatment and long-term care options for service members suffering these severe injuries, he added.
“These are life-defining injuries for these warriors and their families, but it is not desperate,” Caravalho said. “All of us in uniform understand it’s not just about saving lives; it’s about doing everything military medicine can do to help them lead full and productive lives.”
The report details the number of surviving service member amputees from January 2010 to March 2011. Of 194 amputations, 78 resulted from DCBI and 116 from other causes. By service, 53 Marines, 23 soldiers and two sailors suffered dismounted complex blast injuries resulting in amputation (PDF). DoD
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