A Mobile Craniofacial Surgery Unit: Reconstructing Casualties of War in Ukraine

This paper describes the development and implementation of a mobile craniofacial surgical unit designed to address complex posttraumatic craniofacial deformities in both civilian and military casualties resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Restricted air space, limited possibilities for transportation of personnel and equipment, frequent interruption of power and water supply, and constant threat of injury to patients and medical personnel from missile and drone strikes, precludes reliable and safe delivery of tertiary care. The Canada Ukraine Surgical Aid Program (CUSAP) addressed these challenges by establishing a mobile craniofacial surgery unit, operating just outside of the war zone. The following report characterizes the civilian and military casualties, highlights the barriers to the provision of adequate tertiary care locally, and provides a detailed description of the measures that were taken to organize the mobile unit. The effectiveness of this program is documented, and specific challenges are illustrated through case examples. We believe this model serves as a template for delivering surgical aid to victims of any global disaster where care cannot be provided locally.