Abstract

RESTREPO, Ana Cristina  and  LOPE, Jaime Alberto. Clinical and microbiological profiles of anti-personnel mine injuries in the Medellín area of northwestern Colombia. Biomédica [online]. 2010, vol.30, n.3, pp.338-344. ISSN 0120-4157.

Introduction. The counts of antipersonnel mine injuries are increasing worldwide, but in Colombia, documentation of the clinical and microbiological characteristics of these lesions is lacking. Objectives. To determine the clinical and microbiological characteristics of antipersonnel mine injuries for patients admitted for treatment during a 2 and a half year period. Materials and methods. The medical records were reviewed for 151 patients hospitalized with injuries caused by antipersonnel mines. The admissions occurred between January 1st 2003 and July 31st 2005 at a highly specialized university hospital, the Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital in Medellín, Colombia. Results. All patients were male, mean age 24 years old, and all but 8 of them military. The length of stay averaged 20 days and hospital mortality 4%. Multiple lesions occurred in 66.8% of the cases, 88.0% of the injuries affected the limbs, and amputations were mandated in 52.3% of patients. A total of 313 specimens were cultured--68.7% of cultures were positive, and 386 microorganisms were identified. The most prevalent bacteria in the first culture were Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. In subsequent cultures, P. aeruginosa and Enterococcus faecalis appeared. Most of the patients (93.4%) received standard antibiotic therapy, ampicillin/sulbactam. Conclusions. The clinical and microbiological characteristics of patients were related to their military occupation and the complex injuries produced by the mines. Knowledge of these characteristics will permit the design of better management strategies and empirical treatments.

Keywords : Wounds and injuries; multiple trauma; blast injuries; amputation; infection.

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