TUESDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. troops in Iraq who have suffered facial wounds are now undergoing successful reconstructive surgeries at army facilities in the field -- cutting their risk for long-term complications caused by evacuation-linked delays.
In the past, concern about potentially deadly infections has made field physicians hesitant to repair face wounds in Iraq, explained co-researcher Dr. Manuel L. Lopez, a head and neck surgeon who had been with the 322nd Expeditionary Medical Group at Balad Air Force Base, north of Baghdad. That meant that wounded troops would have treatment delayed for the two or three or more days needed for evacuation to hospitals in Germany or the United States, he said.
