Care for Ukrainian Conflict Amputees: A Gap Analysis With Recommendations

21/08/2026

AI Summary

Massive scale of amputations in Ukraine overwhelms trauma and evacuation systems, threatening incomplete recovery and long-term disability.
Systemic gaps: limited early integrated rehabilitation, inadequate prosthetic capacity, under-resourced mental health services, geographic inequities, poor infection control, and insufficient follow-up.
Priority interventions: decentralised community rehabilitation, expanded prosthetic provision and longitudinal care, local mental health services, infection control, best practice dissemination, national registry.

AI Summary

Key gaps include overload of the trauma and evacuation system, insufficient early and integrated rehabilitation, inadequate prosthetic capacity, lack of qualified mental health professionals and under-resourced mental health services, geographic inequities in access, insufficient long-term follow-up, inadequate data coordination and training, and near-universal residual limb infection at specialty centers.

Targeted solutions include early decentralized community rehabilitation services, expanded prosthesis access and longitudinal care, local mental health care, infection control initiatives, dissemination of best practices, and establishment of a national amputee registry.

Basic summary

Mil Med. 2026 Aug 20:usag381. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usag381. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Ukrainians have undergone over 100,000 limb amputations, according to United nations reporting in February, 2026; far surpassing the approximately 2,100 U.S. war-related amputees from the Global War on Terror. To meet the needs of war amputees and their families, Ukraine must coordinate national resources, allied nations, humanitarian organizations, charitable foundations, and private industry. We identified major systemic deficits across all stages of amputee care. Key gaps include overload of the trauma and evacuation system, insufficient early and integrated rehabilitation, inadequate prosthetic capacity, lack of qualified mental health professionals and under-resourced mental health services, geographic inequities in access, insufficient long-term follow-up, inadequate data coordination and training, and near-universal residual limb infection at specialty centers. Without coordinated interventions, thousands of Ukrainians risk incomplete recovery and long-term disability. Targeted solutions include early decentralized community rehabilitation services, expanded prosthesis access and longitudinal care, local mental health care, infection control initiatives, dissemination of best practices, and establishment of a national amputee registry.

PMID:42623655 | DOI:10.1093/milmed/usag381

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