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INTRODUCTION: Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) involving extensive ballistic and explosive injuries place considerable pressure on healthcare resources. This study aimed to evaluate the rehabilitation resources required for individuals who sustained blast and ballistic injuries during an MCI. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted using Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) of patients admitted to Sheba Medical Center (SMC), Israel, following an MCI on 7 October 2023. Patients diagnosed with gunshot wounds (GSW), or blast injuries (BI) were included. Data were collected over an almost 7-month period, focusing on injury patterns, rehabilitation department admissions, total hospital length of stay, and associated budgetary requirements. RESULTS: A total of 419 patients received rehabilitation at SMC: 205 with BI, 175 with GSW, 10 with both, and 9 with unknown injury causes. Two patients were under 18; the majority (76 %) of adults were aged 18-29. Military personnel comprised 90 % of the cohort, with 95 % male. Paediatric rehabilitation admitted the two minors, while adult patients were distributed across respiratory (n = 7), neurological (n = 32), head trauma (n = 44), and orthopaedic (n = 68) rehabilitation units. Additionally, 266 patients were treated in three newly established rehabilitation wards. BI patients experienced more complex, multi-trauma injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (11 %) and spinal cord injuries (11 %), underwent more surgical procedures, and had longer hospital stays. Consequently, the average rehabilitation cost per BI patient exceeded that of GSW patients. CONCLUSION: Through strategic planning and multidisciplinary collaboration, SMC effectively managed a high volume of MCI-related injuries. BIs required significantly more rehabilitation resources than GSWs. These findings underscore the importance of preparedness, resource allocation, and interdepartmental coordination in managing rehabilitation during MCIs. SMC's experience offers valuable insights for global healthcare systems facing similar high-demand emergency scenarios.
Barmatz et al. (Sat,) studied this question.