Abstract
Counter-insurgency warfare in recent military operations has been epitomised by the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) against coalition troops. Emerging patterns of skeletal fractures, limb amputations and organ injuries, which are caused by these weapons have been described over recent years. This paper describes a retrospective case series of knee dislocations caused by IEDs in recent conflict.
Data was obtained about military personnel from 2006 to 2011, who had sustained a knee dislocation while serving in Afghanistan from a prospectively gathered database, the Joint Theatre Trauma Registry (JTTR), maintained by the Academic Department of Military Emergency Medicine, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine. The diagnosis of knee dislocation and its associated skeletal injuries was assessed by review of all relevant plain radiographs, computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance images. The mechanism of injury, incidence of vascular injuries and other skeletal injuries was recorded.
During the study period, 23 casualties sustained a knee dislocation caused by an IED. Four casualties had an associated popliteal vascular injury. Eleven injuries were caused in enclosed spaces, and 10 injuries caused by IEDs out in the open. Anterior dislocations were common in the group caused in enclosed spaces. 19/20 patients had at least one other skeletal fracture.
Knee dislocations represent an uncommon but important diagnosis in modern warfare. Urgent and careful assessment for any associated vascular injuries or other skeletal injuries may help ensure timely treatment and promote future recovery. Mitigation against knee dislocation may be possible in the enclosed environment because of the predictable pattern of injury.
