Amputation rate for US troops twice that of past wars (12/9/04)

CARING FOR THE WOUNDED
Amputation rate for US troops twice that of past wars
Doctors cite need for prosthetics as more lives saved
By Raja Mishra, Globe Staff | December 9, 2004

US troops injured in Iraq have required limb amputations at twice the rate of past wars, and as many as 20 percent have suffered head and neck injuries that may require a lifetime of care, according to new data giving the clearest picture yet of the severity of battlefield wounds.

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