Early Microsurgical Management of Blast Injuries

Over the past years, plastic surgeons in the Middle East and Arab region are dealing with an increasing number of war blast injuries, particularly to the upper extremity and hand, in the acute, subacute, and chronic phases, referred from war zone countries like Iraq and Syria, where the resources to treat such complex injuries are scarce. This chapter is a comprehensive review of the basic principles of management of blast injuries to the hand and upper extremity based on the available literature merged with the author’s personal experience. The state-of-art of treatment of blast injuries, starting from ammunition physics, wound ballistics and ending with the principles of surgical management are discussed. The indications of reconstructive microsurgery are particularly addressed as it offers a useful tool for reconstructing the anatomy and restoring function.