The Joint Facial and Invasive Neck Trauma (J-FAINT) Project, Iraq and Afghanistan 2003-2011

ObjectiveDefine the number and type of facial and penetrating neck trauma injuries sustained in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).Study DesignRetrospective database study.SettingTertiary care level I trauma center.Subjects and MethodsThe Joint Theater Trauma Registry (JTTR) was queried for data from OIF and OEF from January 2003 to May 2011. Information on demographics; type and severity of facial, neck, and associated trauma injures; and impact on overall mortality was recorded.ResultsThere were 37,523 discrete facial and penetrating neck injuries that occurred in 7177 service members. There were 25,834 soft tissue injuries and 11,689 facial fractures. The most common soft injury sites were the face/cheek (48%), neck/larynx/trachea (17%), and mouth/lip (12%). The maxilla (25%), mandible (21%), and orbit (19%) were the most common facial fracture sites. The most common mechanism of injury was penetrating (49.1%), followed by blunt (25.7%), blast (24.2%), and other/unknown/...