• Military medicine · Jul 2023

    Nonfatal Injuries From Falls Among U.S. Military Personnel Deployed for Combat Operations, 2001-2018.

    • Caryn A Stern, Jessica A Liendo, Brock A Graham, Grant M Johnson, Russ S Kotwal, Stacy Shackelford, Jennifer M Gurney, and Jud C Janak.
    • Joint Trauma System, DoD Center of Excellence for Trauma, 3611 Chambers Dr, Joint Base, San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234, USA.
    • Mil Med. 2023 Jul 22; 188 (7-8): e2405e2413e2405-e2413.

    IntroductionFalls are a leading mechanism of injury. Hospitalization and outpatient clinic visits due to fall injury are frequently reported among both deployed and non-deployed U.S. Military personnel. Falls have been previously identified as a leading injury second only to sports and exercise as a cause for non-battle air evacuations.Materials And MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed the Department of Defense Trauma Registry fall injury data from September 11, 2001 to December 31, 2018. Deployed U.S. Military personnel with fall listed as one of their mechanisms of injury were included for analysis.ResultsOf 31,791 injured U.S. Military personnel captured by the Department of Defense Trauma Registry within the study time frame, a total of 3,101 (9.8%) incurred injuries from falls. Those who had fall injuries were primarily 21 to 30 years old (55.4%), male (93.1%), Army (75.6%), and enlisted personnel (56.9%). The proportion of casualties sustaining injuries from falls generally increased through the years of the study. Most fall injuries were classified as non-battle injury (91.9%). Falls accounted for 24.2% of non-battle injury hospital admissions with a median hospital stay of 2 days. More non-battle-related falls were reported in Iraq-centric military operations (62.7%); whereas more battle-related falls were reported in Afghanistan-centric military operations (58.3%).ConclusionsThis study is the largest analysis of deployed U.S. Military personnel injured by falls to date. Highlighted are preventive strategies to mitigate fall injury, reduce workforce attrition, and preserve combat mission capability.Level Of EvidenceLevel III Epidemiologic.Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2022. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

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