Predictors of Mortality in Close Proximity Blast Injuries During Operation Iraqi Freedom

BACKGROUND: Blast injury is an increasingly common problem faced by military surgeons in the field. Because of urban terrorism worldwide, blast injury is becoming more common in the civilian sector as well. Blast injuries are often devastating and can overwhelm medical resources. We sought to determine whether simple factors easily obtained from the clinical history and primary survey could be used to triage patients more effectively. STUDY …