Genitourinary injuries and extremity amputation in operations enduring and iraqi freedom: early findings from the trauma outcomes and urogenital health (tough) project.

BACKGROUND: In Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF), genitourinary (GU) wounds have occurred in unprecedented numbers. Severe concomitant injuries, including extremity amputations, are common. The epidemiology of GU injury and extremity amputation in OEF/OIF has not been described. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR) was queried from October 2001 through August 2013 to identify all surviving US male service members with GU injuries sustained in OEF/OIF. GU injury was defined as sustaining one or more injuries to any organ or structure within the genitourinary and/or reproductive system(s) based on ICD-9-CM diagnosis codes. Injury severity was quantified based on Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores and overall Injury Severity Scores (ISS). The incidence, nature, and severity of GU injuries and extremity amputations were described. RESULTS: Of the 1,367 service members with GU injury included in this analysis, 433 (31.7%) had one or more extremity amputations. The majority of GU injuries were to the external genitalia [scrotum (55.6%), testes (33.0%), penis (31.0%), and urethra (9.1%)] vs. the kidneys (21.1%). Those with amputation(s) had greater GU injury severity (AIS >= 3) than those without amputations (50.1% vs. 30.5% respectively; p

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