Background: Facial injuries sustained by US military personnel during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have increased compared with past conflicts. Characterization of midface fractures (orbits, maxilla, zygoma, and nasal bones) sustained on the battlefield is needed to improve our understanding of these injuries, to optimize treatment, and to potentially direct strategic development of protective equipment in the future.
Methods: The military's Joint Theater Trauma Registry was queried for midface fractures from 2001 to 2011 using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis codes. Stratification was then performed, and individual treatment records from Brooke Army Medical Center were reviewed. Analysis of the fracture pattern, treatment, and complications was performed.
Results: One thousand seven hundred sixty individuals with midface fractures were identified. Those fractures sustained in battle were characterized by a predominance of open fractures, blast etiology, and associated injuries. Detailed record reviews of the patients treated at our institution revealed 45% of all midface fractures as operative. Thirty-one percent of these were treated at levels III and IV facilities outside the continental United States before arrival at our institution. Patients with midface fractures underwent multiple operations. There was a 30% rate of complication among operative fractures characterized by malalignment, implant exposure, and infection. Midface battle injuries also had a high incidence of orbital fractures and severe globe injuries.
Conclusions: Midface fractures sustained in the battlefield have a high complication rate, likely as a result of the blast mechanism of injury with associated open fractures, multiple fractures, and associated injuries. These cases present unique challenges, often requiring both soft tissue and skeletal reconstruction.