Burn injury and prevention in the Lebanon war, 1982

ABSTRACT

Burn injury and prevention in the Lebanon war, 1982 measures taken during the Lebanon war 1982, to prevent and minimize the extent and severity of tank-crew combat burns proved to be of value. Since 98 percent of tank crewmen who were burned were wearing fireproof suits at the time only 12 percent sustained abdominal burns; 77 percent had facial burns, as nome of the were wearing fireproof masks, only 9 percent of the burned soldiers who wore fireproof gloves sustained hand burns, compared with 75 percent who did not wear the gloves. A comparison of the extent of tank-crew burns in the Lebanon war and the October 1973 war revealed that 51 percent of the burns in 1982 were minor compared with 21 percent in 1973. Of the burns sustained in the 3,29 percent covered 40 percent of the body surface area compared with 18 percent in 1982 (AU)