DISASTER MEDICINE No. 3 •2026

doi: 10.33266/2070-1004-2026-3

CLINICAL ASPECTS OF DISASTER MEDICINE

Original article

Structure of the Incoming Flow of Patients with Combat Trauma to a Level 3 Trauma Center during a Border Military Conflict: What Should One Be Prepared for

Goncharov A.V. ¹, Nosov A.M. ¹, Samokhvalov I.M.1,2, Petrov A.N. ¹, Kuropatkin V.A.3, Skakunova T.Yu. ¹

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¹ S.M.Kirov Military Medical Academy, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

² I.I.Dzhanelidze Saint Petersburg Research Institute of Emergency Medicine, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

3 State Research Center – Burnazyan Federal Medical Biophysical Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, Moscow, Russian Federation

UDC 616-001.45:355.72

P. 68-73

 

Summary. The purpose of this study is to analyze the structure of the incoming flow of patients with combat trauma admitted for treatment to a civilian healthcare facility (level 3 trauma center) during the first months of a border armed conflict.

Materials and methods. The medical records of patients (wounded) who were treated in a civilian level 3 trauma center with the participation of group of military medical specialists were analyzed.

Results and analysis. The data from a three‑month period of operation of a civilian level 3 trauma center operating as a level 3 military hospital were analyzed. In the structure of sanitary losses, shrapnel wounds (59%) and mechanical trauma (27,5%) predominated. The most frequent injury locations were the extremities (54,8%) and the head (48,8%). Severe and critical injuries accounted for 64% of the total patient flow. A dynamic change in the structure of hospitalizations was identified: during the first weeks, the lightly wounded prevailed, but over time the proportion of critically wounded patients in the civilian hospital increased significantly.

Conclusions: 

  1. In the initial phase of a border conflict, civilian trauma centers can be used in the interests of the Ministry of Defense as level 3 military hospitals.
  2. The structure of the incoming wounded patient flow shows that the predominance of extremity and head injuries necessitates the involvement of a wide range of specialists (neurosurgeons, ophthalmologists, maxillofacial surgeons) already at the early stages.
  3. The identified dynamics in the severity of the patient flow (from a predominance of the lightly wounded in the first weeks to an increase in the proportion of critically wounded later on) justifies the need for flexible planning of bed capacity and triage procedures.
  4. The obtained data can serve as a basis for developing recommendations on organizing the work of healthcare facilities under wartime conditions, especially in border regions.

Keywords: border armed conflict, civilian healthcare, civilian level 3 trauma center, combat trauma, incoming flow of patients, injured, organization of surgical care, polytrauma, staged treatment, structure of sanitary losses

For citation: Goncharov A.V., Nosov A.M., Samokhvalov I.M., Petrov A.N., Kuropatkin V.A., Skakunova T.Yu. Structure of the Incoming Flow of Patients with Combat Trauma to a Level 3 Trauma Center during a Border Military Conflict: What Should One Be Prepared for. Meditsina Katastrof = Disaster Medicine. 2026;3:68-73 (In Russ.). Doi:10.33266/2070-1004-2026-3-68-73

 

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The material was received 06.04.26; the article after peer review procedure 03.09.26; the Editorial Board accepted the article for publication 16.09.26
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