Abstract

The epidemic of gunshot wounds and injuries as a result of the war with Russia continues to grow. From February 24, 2022 to February 18, 2023, in the Pulmonology Department of Volyn Regional Clinical Hospital, the rate of hospitalized military patients with chest injury due to mine-explosive wounds, shrapnel wounds, gunshot bullet wounds, and stub-cut wounds of the chest amounted to 19.3% of all pulmonological diseases in the soldiers that were received during this year (n=88). Penetrating chest injury occurred in 41.1% of cases, non-penetrating blunt chest injury (including behind armor blunt trauma) in 23.5% of cases, chest trauma with soft tissue injury in 35.2% of cases. Chest injury with fractured chest bones was detected in 47% of cases. In 52.9% of cases, chest injuries and one stab-cut wound were on the side surface and chest, which was not protected by a bulletproof vest. Lung contusion or contusion pneumonitis was observed in 70.5% of cases, including destruction in 29.4%. Post-traumatic pneumonia was observed in 58.8% of cases, that was caused by a non-hospital and hospital infection, pleuritis was observed in 17.6% of cases. Also, after chest injury, infiltrative-destructive pulmonary tuberculosis was detected in 5.8% of cases and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in 5.8% of cases, so after chest injury, the occurrence of a specific infection that can lead to destruction and aggravate destructive changes in the lung parenchyma should also be taken into account. Also, in 64.7% of cases, metal, fragmentary, foreign bodies of the chest organs were found that required further surgical removal.