Outcome of arterial repairs in 23 consecutive patients at the ICRC-Peshawar hospital for war wounded.

Arterial injuries represent a formidable challenge to surgeons working in war zone conditions. A series of 23 consecutive patients with combat wounds from the Afghan conflict with acute arterial injury were treated at the ICRC hospital in Peshawar. The mean injury-treatment delay (lag time) was 34 hours, with 14 of the 23 patients (60%) treated more than 12 hours after injury.