Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patients
Abstract Introduction The armed conflict in the Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused close to 12,000 deaths. One of the most lethal weapons in armed conflicts is the high explosive hand grenade. The study aimed to describe the epidemiology, presentation, and outcomes of hand...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Emergency Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-022-00599-4 |
| _version_ | 1818446103543021568 |
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| author | Paul Munguakonkwa Budema Romeo Bujiriri Murhega Tshibambe Nathanael Tshimbombu Georges Kuyigwa Toha Fabrice Gulimwentuga Cikomola Paterne Safari Mudekereza Léon-Emmanuel Mubenga Ghislain Maheshe Balemba Darck Cubaka Badesire Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye |
| author_facet | Paul Munguakonkwa Budema Romeo Bujiriri Murhega Tshibambe Nathanael Tshimbombu Georges Kuyigwa Toha Fabrice Gulimwentuga Cikomola Paterne Safari Mudekereza Léon-Emmanuel Mubenga Ghislain Maheshe Balemba Darck Cubaka Badesire Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye |
| author_sort | Paul Munguakonkwa Budema |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction The armed conflict in the Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused close to 12,000 deaths. One of the most lethal weapons in armed conflicts is the high explosive hand grenade. The study aimed to describe the epidemiology, presentation, and outcomes of hand grenade blast injuries (HGBI) in the Kivu province. Methods In this case series, the authors present 2017 to 2020 HGBI admissions at a Congolese trauma center. Measures of central tendency and spread were computed for continuous data. Complication and mortality rates were equally computed. Admission-to-discharge data were disaggregated by the body part injured and by complication status and visualized using time-to-event curves. Results Thirty-eight HGBI patients aged 31.4 (range 17–56) years were included in the study. Twenty-six (68.4%) were male and the patients were admitted 1.8 days post-injury on average. The patients were hemodynamically stable at admission; 84.2% received the antitetanic vaccine, 21.1% received broad-spectrum antibiotics, and all were debrided (100.0%). The complication rate was 13.2%, and the most common complication was anemia (7.9%). In addition, the mortality rate was 2.6%. The median admission-to-discharge time was 17.0 (range 4–71) days, and it was prolonged in patients with lower extremity injuries (23.0 days). Conclusion HGBIs cause avertable death and disability in the Kivu regions. These data suggest that the burden of HGBIs can be reduced with appropriate preventive and health systems strengthening interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T19:42:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4328b990e8624cfb924965037ed97e8e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-227X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T19:42:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Emergency Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-4328b990e8624cfb924965037ed97e8e2022-12-21T22:49:39ZengBMCBMC Emergency Medicine1471-227X2022-03-012211710.1186/s12873-022-00599-4Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patientsPaul Munguakonkwa Budema0Romeo Bujiriri Murhega1Tshibambe Nathanael Tshimbombu2Georges Kuyigwa Toha3Fabrice Gulimwentuga Cikomola4Paterne Safari Mudekereza5Léon-Emmanuel Mubenga6Ghislain Maheshe Balemba7Darck Cubaka Badesire8Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye9Department of Surgery, Provincial General Reference Hospital of BukavuDepartment of Surgery, Provincial General Reference Hospital of BukavuResearch Department, Association of Future African NeurosurgeonsDepartment of Surgery, Provincial General Reference Hospital of BukavuDepartment of Surgery, Provincial General Reference Hospital of BukavuDepartment of Surgery, Provincial General Reference Hospital of BukavuDepartment of Surgery, Provincial General Reference Hospital of BukavuFaculty of Medicine, Université Catholique de BukavuDepartment of Surgery, Provincial General Reference Hospital of BukavuResearch Department, Association of Future African NeurosurgeonsAbstract Introduction The armed conflict in the Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has caused close to 12,000 deaths. One of the most lethal weapons in armed conflicts is the high explosive hand grenade. The study aimed to describe the epidemiology, presentation, and outcomes of hand grenade blast injuries (HGBI) in the Kivu province. Methods In this case series, the authors present 2017 to 2020 HGBI admissions at a Congolese trauma center. Measures of central tendency and spread were computed for continuous data. Complication and mortality rates were equally computed. Admission-to-discharge data were disaggregated by the body part injured and by complication status and visualized using time-to-event curves. Results Thirty-eight HGBI patients aged 31.4 (range 17–56) years were included in the study. Twenty-six (68.4%) were male and the patients were admitted 1.8 days post-injury on average. The patients were hemodynamically stable at admission; 84.2% received the antitetanic vaccine, 21.1% received broad-spectrum antibiotics, and all were debrided (100.0%). The complication rate was 13.2%, and the most common complication was anemia (7.9%). In addition, the mortality rate was 2.6%. The median admission-to-discharge time was 17.0 (range 4–71) days, and it was prolonged in patients with lower extremity injuries (23.0 days). Conclusion HGBIs cause avertable death and disability in the Kivu regions. These data suggest that the burden of HGBIs can be reduced with appropriate preventive and health systems strengthening interventions.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-022-00599-4ConflictDemocratic Republic of CongoGrenade injuryTraumaSurvival |
| spellingShingle | Paul Munguakonkwa Budema Romeo Bujiriri Murhega Tshibambe Nathanael Tshimbombu Georges Kuyigwa Toha Fabrice Gulimwentuga Cikomola Paterne Safari Mudekereza Léon-Emmanuel Mubenga Ghislain Maheshe Balemba Darck Cubaka Badesire Ulrick Sidney Kanmounye Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patients BMC Emergency Medicine Conflict Democratic Republic of Congo Grenade injury Trauma Survival |
| title | Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patients |
| title_full | Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patients |
| title_fullStr | Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patients |
| title_short | Hand grenade blast injuries in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a case series of 38 patients |
| title_sort | hand grenade blast injuries in the eastern democratic republic of congo a case series of 38 patients |
| topic | Conflict Democratic Republic of Congo Grenade injury Trauma Survival |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-022-00599-4 |
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