Analysis of the quality of surgical care for patients with consequences of gunshot combat wounds of the maxillofacial area
Authors: Chantyr I. V. , Zavgorodnev K. D. , Belchenko V. A. 
Published: May 2024

One of the most pressing problems of maxillofacial surgery (MFS) is the provision of specialized medical care to the wounded and injured in combat conditions. Even more complex tasks are reconstructive surgical treatment at the stages of evacuation and the most complete rehabilitation of patients with the consequences of combat injuries to the maxillofacial area (MFA). Gunshot combat wounds of the MFA are characterized by severe anatomical and functional disorders, they can manifest themselves as significant defects and severe deformations, which in turn leads to an increase in sanitary losses of army personnel, disability of young and middle (working) age patients, a decrease in the quality of their life, long-term and expensive treatment that requires special knowledge and manual skills from specialists. All this determines not only the medical, but also the socio-economic significance of the topic of this study.

Objective. Present an analysis of the quality of surgical care provided to patients with consequences of gunshot combat wounds of the MFA.

Methods. The study was carried out by specialists from the State Budgetary Healthcare Institution «Maxillofacial Hospital for War Veterans» of the Moscow Department of Health, under the guidance of the chief, PhD, professor, main specialist in MFS – V.A. Belchenko, for the period from October 2022 to July 2023. Diagnosis, planning and surgical treatment of adult patients with the consequences of gunshot combat wounds of the MFA were carried out at the stages of treatment and evacuation measures. A sample of medical documentation was made, the data obtained was processed by the generally accepted statistical method. The results were analyzed and compared with data from similar studies.

Results. The study group included 55 males, aged from 23 to 56 years, the average age of the patients was 36.16±7.79 years. We divided the studied patients into subgroups according to the conditional zones of damage to the MFA: 1st – upper zone of the face (n=3, 5.45%), 2nd – middle zone of the face (n=28; 50.91%), 3rd – lower zone of the face ( n=32; 58.18%). The number of patients with isolated injuries is 18.18% (n=10); with multiple – 81.81% (n=45); with combined – 72.72% (n=40). The article presents the characteristics of patients with the pathology under study, discusses some features of diagnosis and planning, discusses tactics and problems associated with the surgical stage of treatment, as well as further rehabilitation measures.

Conclusion. Despite the emergence of new medical equipment, equipment for diagnostics, planning and solving complex problems of surgical intervention, there is a clear need for training specialists, developing and improving the applied medical recommendations, with a clear indication of the method of choosing tactics and methods of surgical treatment. Medical care for adult patients with the consequences of gunshot combat wounds of the MFA must be comprehensive and carried out on the basis of specialized centers, and must include both surgical and orthopedic components, which will minimize the number of errors and complications, increase the effectiveness of treatment and, as a result, make rehabilitation as complete as possible.