Managing a front-line field hospital in Libya: Description of case mix and lessons learned for future humanitarian emergencies Gerer un hopital de terrain sur la ligne de front en Lybie: Description de plusieurs cas et lecons tirees pour les futures urgences humanitaires

Between June and August 2011, International Medical Corps deployed a field hospital near the front-line of the fighting between government troops and opposition fighters in Western Libya. The field hospital cared for over 1300 combatants and non-combatants from both sides of the conflict during that time period, the vast majority of them presenting with war-related inju- ries. Over 60% of battle-related injuries were due to shrapnel wounds and blast injuries from exploding small mortars, with smaller percentages due to battle-related motor vehicle accidents, gun shot wounds, burns, and other causes. The most pertinent lessons learned from our experience were the importance of dedicating significant resources to logistics and supply chain management,