Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38515061›Full record

ArticleBMC emergency medicine2024

Evaluating emergency response at a hospital near the Gaza border within 24 h of increased conflict.

Hezi Levi, Gili Givaty, Yaniv S Ovadia, Yaniv Alon, Mor Saban

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC emergency medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
6.0field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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  4. Battlefield Neck Injuries: Contemporary Insights From the Israeli National Trauma Registry.Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Hezi Levi *Management, Barzilai University Medical Center, 7830604, Ashkelon, Israel.
Gili Givaty *Management, Barzilai University Medical Center, 7830604, Ashkelon, Israel.
Yaniv S OvadiaResearch and Development Authority, Barzilai University Medical Center, 7830604, Ashkelon, Israel.
Yaniv AlonNursing Department, School of Health Professions, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
Mor SabanNursing Department, School of Health Professions, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel. morsaban1@tauex.tau.ac.il.
Barzilai Medical Center · ILTel Aviv University · IL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFrontline hospitals near active hostilities face unique challenges in delivering emergency care amid threats to infrastructure and personnel safety. Existing literature focuses on individual aspects like mass casualty protocols or medical neutrality, with limited analysis of operating acute services directly under fire.

objectivesTo describe the experience of a hospital situated meters from hostilities and analyze strategies implemented for triage, expanding surge capacity, and maintaining continuity of care during attacks with limited medical staff availability due to hazardous conditions. A focus will be placed on assessing how the hospital functioned and adapted care delivery models in the event of staffing limitations preventing all teams from arriving on site.

methodsA retrospective case study was conducted of patient records from Barzilai University Medical Center at Ashkelon (BUMCA) Medical Center in Israel within the first 24 h after escalated conflict began on October 7, 2023. Data on 232 admissions were analyzed regarding demographics, treatment protocols, time to disposition, and mortality. Missile alert data correlated patient surges to attacks. Statistical and geospatial analyses were performed.

resultsPatients predominantly male soldiers exhibited blast/multisystem trauma. Patient surges at the hospital were found to be correlated with the detection of incoming missile attacks from Gaza within 60 min of launch. While 131 (56%) patients were discharged and 55 (24%) transferred within 24 h, probabilities of survival declined over time reflecting injury severity limitations. 31 deaths occurred from severe presentation.

conclusionInsights gleaned provide a compelling case study on managing mass casualties at the true frontlines. By disseminating BUMCA's trauma response experience, strategies can strengthen frontline hospital protocols optimizing emergency care delivery during hazardous armed conflicts through dynamic surge capacity expansion, early intervention prioritization, and infrastructure/personnel protection measures informed by risks.

Indexed as

Blast InjuriesDisaster PlanningEmergency Medical ServicesMass Casualty IncidentsEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHospitalsHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesTriageArmed conflictEmergency medicineFrontline hospitalsHealthcare deliveryMass casualtyTrauma care

Identifiers

PMID38515061
PMCPMC10956292
OpenAlexW4393054500

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.