Table 2.

Classification of 388 patients with extremity war wounds treated at the Split University Hospital between 1991 and 1995 into four groups according to the complexity, severity, and primary characteristics of the war wound*

Wound characteristics	Type of injury
	group I (n = 79)	group II (n = 111)	group III (n = 100)	group IV (n = 98)
Ischemia, compartment syndrome, complex soft tissue injury, and open bone fracture	+	+	+	+
Blood vessel injury	+	+
Nerve injury	+	+
Crush syndrome	+
Guillotine amputation of the extremities	+
Initial soft tissue infection		+	+

*Group I had the most complex and severe wounds, whereas group IV had the least severe and complex wounds. The purpose of this classification was to reduce the confounding influence of wound severity and complexity in the analysis of hyperbaric oxygen therapy results.