The Blast Injured: Experience of the Army training Hospital Omar Bongo Odimba

Objectives: To highlight the specificities of blast trauma in our context and analyzetheir management. Material and Method: Single-center, retrospective study from April 1, 2018 to January 31, 2020. Inclusion criteria: Patients admitted in emergency for explosion trauma. Results: 11 patients included. Average age was 37.82 The sex ratio (M/F) was 4.5. The injuries during industrial explosions were the mostnumerous (63.64% n=07). Among the injuries recorded we had (9.09% n=01) primary injuries, (18.18% n=02) secondary injuries, (9.09% n=01) tertiary injuries. The burnwas the quaternary injury, almost systematic, with a predominance of deep 2nd degreeburns. Mortality (45.4%, n=05) was related to respiratory and other complications. The average length of staywas 8.81±12.52 days. Conclusion:The blast-injured patient is a criticallyill patient with multiple trauma. Blast-related injuries should be systematically investigated, as they can lead to secondary respiratory and hemodynamic complications. Burns are the mostcommoninjury in civilian explosions in Gabon. Addressing these factors could improve the prognosis of these severely injured patients.