The Ukraine War: Traumatic Brain Injury in a Front-Line Hospital

The location close to the front lines of Mechnikov Hospital in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro creates both opportunities and challenges. The same medical teams have worked closely together for years. They have learned how to provide the best possible care despite personnel shortages and overwhelming patient volumes, including many patients who are critically ill with systemic as well as neurological injuries. Outcomes are better than many might expect. International support and collaboration have been instrumental in achieving these good outcomes. Mechnikov Hospital neurosurgeons have developed new patient care pathways and management techniques that they disseminate internationally through publications and academic conferences. Prospective studies and other research activities are underway despite the obvious challenges caused by the war. The lessons learned by the team at Mechnikov Hospital will benefit other patients both now and in the future, especially as the international medical community prepares for possible large-scale combat operations in austere environments.