Objective
Mass casualty (MASCAL) events are known to occur in the combat setting. Data from the Joint Theater wars, specific to MASCAL events, are very limited at this time. We seek to provide preliminary data for developing prehospital planning and guidelines.
Methods
Cases were identified using the Department of Defense Trauma Registry and the Prehospital Trauma Registry. These cases were identified during the course of an approved quality assurance analysis. Cases that were designated as or associated with MASCAL events were included.
Results
Fifty cases were identified during the course of this project. The majority (74%, n = 37) of those injured were battle injuries. Explosives were the most common cause of injuries. There was a wide range of vital signs. Tourniquet placement (20%) and pressure dressings (19%) were the most common interventions, followed by analgesia administration (15%). Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate was the most common parenteral analgesic drug administered. Most were evacuated as "routine." Follow-up data were available for 36 of the subjects, and 97% were discharged alive.
Conclusions
In this case series, the most common prehospital interventions were hemorrhage control followed by medication administration. This preliminary data set may help develop prehospital guidelines and planning. Larger data sets are need to validate these findings, which may have limited utility in the noncombat setting.