Mobile Surgical Teams of Croatian Special Police Forces: Analysis of Casualties during Combat

The purpose of this article is to present medical results of mobile surgical teams (MST) supporting units of Croatian Special Police Forces in three attack combat actions. The rate of injury was from 2.0 to 1.3%, whereas the combat mortality rate was between 0.20 and 0.17%. No postoperative mortality occurred. Heavy injuries were found in 45% of all injured, among them 57% caused by shell fragments. Extremities were involved in 92% of all injuries, whereas 50% were injuries of the calf. All the injured were surgically managed by MST at the site of deployment or in mobile surgical hospitals and evacuated to general hospitals within 12 hours, where 80% of all heavily injured patients underwent additional operations with no postoperative mortality. Eight to 36 months after injury, we found major functional disability in 2% of all injured. NATO schemes served as a basis for the formation of the Croatian war surgical care system with certain modifications dictated by specific situations at the beginning of the aggression against Croatia. MST of Croatian Special Police Forces presented second- and third- echelon staged management of the wounded, which was adequate for this type of attack combat situation.