The Israeli mission to the 2023 Armenian burn mass casualty incident – Lessons learned

Background: The Israeli mission to Armenia was deployed to assist in a mass casualty burn incident caused by an explosion in Nagorno-Karabakh County, Armenia. The explosion caused over 220 deaths and approximately 300 injured. The objective of this manuscript is to report the lessons learned from this mission. Methods: An advance team of plastic surgeons was deployed to Armenia to assess local needs in preparation for the arrival of international mission groups: the quantity and location of patients, severity of injuries and availability of surgical and medical supplies. This team was to operate alongside other international burn teams. Results: Patients were evacuated to local hospitals. Over 200 patients were hospitalized in five centers in Yerevan, including about half in the National Burn Center. Our teams performed forty-two surgeries in four days including debridement of burns, dressing changes and reconstructions with skin grafts and dermal substitutes. Finally, we helped define goals for future teams with stress on patient care and rehabilitation. Conclusion: Burns require prolonged multidisciplinary treatment and resources. Facing a mass casualty event, it is important to prepare ahead, define relevant needs and make a game plan according to which patients will receive the best possible care relative to the situation.