title: Suicide bombing injuries: the Jerusalem experience of exceptional tissue damage posing a new challenge for the reconstructive surgeon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide bomb injuries vary in form and magnitude. From the onset of the second Palestinian "intifada" in October of 2000 until January of 2004, 577 victims of suicide bombings were admitted to the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center. A single bomber carrying a handbag or belt containing multiple metal objects and explosives carried out most of the attacks. As a result, many of the victims suffered massive tissue destruction in addition to conventional blast injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article describes the management of this trauma-related "syndrome" of combined primary and high-magnitude secondary blast injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The management of the extensive soft-tissue damage is described and two representative cases presented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suicide bombing-related injuries in their present form are a true challenge for the reconstructive surgeon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery and Burn Unit, Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, Israel. deana@clalit.org.il
authors.forename: Dean D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ad-El
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eldad
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mintz
authors.forename: Yacov
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Berlatzky
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elami
authors.forename: Avraham I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Rivkind
authors.forename: Gideon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Almogy
authors.forename: Tomer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tzur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005107:Explosions; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D013405:Suicide; D023481:Terrorism; D014857:Warfare; D014947:Wounds and Injuries; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000601:surgery*