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dc.contributor.advisorGilbert, Mads
dc.contributor.authorHeszlein-Lossius, Hanne Edøy
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-02T08:45:47Z
dc.date.available2019-09-02T08:45:47Z
dc.date.issued2019-08-23
dc.description.abstractLittle is known about medical consequences of losing arm(s) or leg(s) in military attacks. Many Palestinians in Gaza have suffered loss of one or more limbs during recurrent Israeli military incursions. Such serious physical trauma pose grave health problems not only for the amputee, but also for their families and for the society at large. The problem is increasing. Hanne Heszlein-Lossius, MD, from UiT The Arctic University of Tromsø has together with her supervisor professor Mads Gilbert (UiT) and Palestinian research colleagues in Gaza conducted a study of 254 patients with war-related traumatic extremity amputations in Gaza. The patients attended Gaza’s main rehabilitation center, The Artificial Limb and Polio Centre (ALPC) in Gaza City for prosthesis and rehabilitation. The studies, published in The Lancet, BMJ and BMC found that the majority of the amputated Palestinians were young, well-educated men with large financial responsibilities, and often the family’s sole breadwinner. Most traumatic amputations were major and will cause life-long disability. To lose the ability to work and thus loose income and the ability to care for one’s family and put food on the table seemed to be an important trauma adding to the pain and loss of arms or legs. A variety of military weapons had caused the loss of limb(s) among the studied patients. Unarmed military airplanes carrying explosive weapons (drones) were the most common. Those who had been hit during drone-attacks suffered the most severe extremity amputations. The patients needed more surgical operations after drone strikes than amputations caused by other weapons.en_US
dc.description.doctoraltypeph.d.en_US
dc.description.popularabstractLittle is known about medical consequences of losing arm(s) or leg(s) in military attacks. Many Palestinians in Gaza have suffered loss of one or more limbs during recurrent Israeli military incursions. Such serious physical trauma pose grave health problems not only for the amputee, but also for their families and for the society at large. The problem is increasing. Hanne Heszlein-Lossius, MD, from UiT The Arctic University of Tromsø has together with her supervisor professor Mads Gilbert (UiT) and Palestinian research colleagues in Gaza conducted a study of 254 patients with war-related traumatic extremity amputations in Gaza. The patients attended Gaza’s main rehabilitation center, The Artificial Limb and Polio Centre (ALPC) in Gaza City for prosthesis and rehabilitation. The studies, published in The Lancet, BMJ and BMC found that the majority of the amputated Palestinians were young, well-educated men with large financial responsibilities, and often the family’s sole breadwinner. Most traumatic amputations were major and will cause life-long disability. To lose the ability to work and thus loose income and the ability to care for one’s family and put food on the table seemed to be an important trauma adding to the pain and loss of arms or legs. A variety of military weapons had caused the loss of limb(s) among the studied patients. Unarmed military airplanes carrying explosive weapons (drones) were the most common. Those who had been hit during drone-attacks suffered the most severe extremity amputations. The patients needed more surgical operations after drone strikes than amputations caused by other weapons.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe Norwegian street artist AFK in Bergen provided NOK 15,000 of project funding, which was used to cover transportation costs for the participating patients to and from the rehabilitation clinic in Gaza (ALPC), were this research was conducted. I applied for and was granted NOK 40,000 from “The Tromsø Foundation Justice in Palestine”. This grant covered the major travel costs during my research visits to Palestine. A local medical student, Anas Ismail, received funding from “The Tromsø Foundation Justice in Palestine” for his work as research coordinator in our group.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/16053
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherUiT The Arctic University of Norwayen_US
dc.publisherUiT Norges arktiske universiteten_US
dc.relation.haspartPaper I: Heszlein-Lossius, H.E., Al-Borno, Y., Shaqqoura, S., Skaik, N., Giil, L.M. & Gilbert, M. (2018). Life after conflict-related amputation trauma: A clinical study from the Gaza Strip. <i>BMC International Health and Human Rights</i>, 18:34. Also available in Munin at <a href= https://hdl.handle.net/10037/14911> https://hdl.handle.net/10037/14911. </a><p> <p>Paper II: Heszlein-Lossius, H.E., Al-Borno, Y., Shaqqoura, S., Skaik, N., Giil, L.M. & Gilbert, M. (2019). Traumatic amputations caused by drone attacks in the local population in Gaza: a retrospective cross-sectional study. <i>The Lancet Planetary Health, 3</i>(1), e40-e47. Also available in Munin at <a href=https://hdl.handle.net/10037/16030>https://hdl.handle.net/10037/16030. </a><p> <p>Paper III: Heszlein-Lossius, H.E., Al-Borno, Y., Shaqqoura, S., Skaik, N., Giil, L.M. & Gilbert, M. (2019). Does pain, psychological distress and deteriorated family economy follow traumatic amputation among war casualties? A retrospective, cross-sectional study from Gaza. <i>BMJ Open, 9</i>:e029892. Also available at <a href=https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029892>https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029892. </a>en_US
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2019 The Author(s)
dc.subject.courseIDDOKTOR-003
dc.subjectVDP::Medical disciplines: 700::Clinical medical disciplines: 750::Other clinical medical disciplines: 799en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Klinisk medisinske fag: 750::Andre klinisk medisinske fag: 799en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Medical disciplines: 700::Clinical medical disciplines: 750::Other clinical medical disciplines: 799en_US
dc.subjectVDP::Medisinske Fag: 700::Klinisk medisinske fag: 750::Andre klinisk medisinske fag: 799en_US
dc.titleLife after war-related extremity amputations. A retrospective, descriptive clinical follow-up study from Gaza, occupied Palestineen_US
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen_US
dc.typeDoktorgradsavhandlingen_US


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