Evacuation times of civilians and soldiers wounded during the war in Croatia.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to estimate the mean time needed for evacuation of wounded persons from the site of injury to a medical institution.

METHODS

A database that includes medical and demographic data for persons treated in Croatian hospitals during the 1991-1995 war in Croatia was used.

RESULTS

A total of 61.11% of wounded persons was evacuated within 1 hour. The mean evacuation time was 2.26 hours, and times for civilians and army units did not vary significantly. After wounded patients were admitted to medical institutions, the chances of survival were 98.36%.

CONCLUSION

Because the wartime medical system in Croatia depended on army units for transport and on civilian medical institutions for medical procedures and later care, we conclude that the integrated model of medical care led to short evacuation times, with no significant differences between soldiers and civilians or soldiers on the two sides.