title: Extremity injuries in soldiers during the conflict in Mali: experience of Togo Level two Hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to analyse war-related and non-war-related extremity injuries in soldiers in the Mali conflict.
  
  
  METHODS
  This prospective study was performed from 1 May 1 to 31 December 2014. It concerned extremity injuries in soldiers treated at Togo Level 2 Hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-nine patients with an average age of 31.19 years were assessed. Among them, 50 were admitted after war injury and 29 from nonwar injury. Most war-related injuries were due to improvised explosive devices (IEDs) (36 %); road traffic accidents (51.72 %) were the main mechanism of non-war injury. A total of 125 injuries were analysed. Limb fractures were identified in 37 patients (29.6 %), and 22 cases (59.46 %) were open fractures. Twenty-six (20.8 %) patients had soft tissue wounds. The other injuries were sprains (18.4 %), muscle contusions (15.2 %), dislocations (8.8 %), traumatic amputations (4 %) and burns (3.2 %). Surgical debridement and external fixator application were the most frequently performed surgical procedures. Thirty-nine per cent of patients were evacuated to a level 3 hospital for better care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The severity of injuries and their rapid treatment require orthopaedic surgeons to have high levels of surgical experience and knowledge pertaining to military or disaster surgical doctrine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, BP 60241, Lomé, Togo. wilfriedakpoto@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yao Messanvi
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Akpoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, BP 60241, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Anani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abalo
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Saliou
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.affiliation: Department of anesthesia, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Hamza Doles
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Sama
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, BP 60241, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Yaovi Yannick
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Dellanh
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Kossigan Adodossi
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Amavi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, BP 60241, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Batarabadja
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bakriga
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, BP 60241, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Atchi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walla
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, BP 60241, Lomé, Togo.
authors.forename: Assang
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dossim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005121:Extremities / Q000293:injuries*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008302:Mali; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014037:Togo; D000067398:War-Related Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Explosive; Extremity; Injury; Mali; Soldiers; Wound