Medical activity in the Conventional Hospitalization Unit in Kabul NATO Role 3 Hospital: a 3-month-long experience.
BACKGROUND
The main goal of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization role 3 hospital located in Kabul is to provide comprehensive medical services to troops engaged in Afghanistan. Nevertheless, it also provides care for Afghan National Security Forces and for Afghan and non-Afghan civilians.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the patients admitted to the conventional hospitalization unit over a 3-month period, between June 29 and October 1, 2012.


RESULTS
A total of 439 patients were admitted, for scheduled surgery, discharged from intensive care unit, or referred by emergency room and primary care physicians. Causes of hospitalization were diverse, particularly for nonscheduled admissions, with mainly war- and traffic-accident-related injuries for Afghan civilians and national security forces, and non-war- and non-traffic-accident-related trauma emergencies and gastroenteritis for non-Afghan patients. Suspected or confirmed cardiovascular diseases were a frequent cause of hospitalization and the leading cause of medical evacuation out of war zone for non-Afghan civilians. The patients admitted for war injuries were mainly Afghan civilians, of whom 36.6% were children and 44.7% had been injured by improvised explosive devices.


CONCLUSIONS
Reasons of admission to the conventional hospitalization unit were numerous. Care provided to Afghan and non-Afghan civilians represented the main activity of this unit.
French Military Teaching Hospital Legouest, 27, Avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France.
Aurore
A
Brondex
French Military Teaching Hospital Bégin, 69, Avenue de Paris, 94163 Saint-Mandé cedex, France.
Eric
E
Viant
French Military Teaching Hospital Legouest, 27, Avenue de Plantières, BP 90001, 57077 Metz cedex 3, France.
Dominique
D
Trendel
French Military Teaching Hospital Desgenettes, 108, Boulevard Pinel, 69275 Lyon cedex 03, France.
Marc
M
Puidupin
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D000346:Afghanistan; D001753:Blast Injuries / Q000628:therapy; D003191:Comprehensive Health Care; D003422:Critical Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D010360:Patient Transfer; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D055815:Young Adult