The Fares Scale of Injuries due to Cluster Munitions is an anatomical and neuropsychological classification method to identify and describe injury scales for victims of cluster munitions. It was published in 2013 by Lebanese physicians, Jawad Fares and Youssef Fares. Elements of the scale + Fares Scale of Injuries due to Cluster Munitions Grade Level Percentage of Functional Disability Anatomical Lesion Grade I ≤25% Amputation of three fingers: middle finger, ring finger and/or little fingerPartial loss of a hand or footSuperficial wounds to the body and faceLoss of skin and/or muscles in the extremities Grade II 50% Amputation of two fingers: one of the two is the thumbLoss of an eye, leg and/or handWound infectionRecuperable lesion in abdomen and/or thoraxPsychological effects Grade III 75% Affection of more than two of the four extremitiesPartial loss of vision and/or impairment of the auditory systemMutilation and partial damage to the digestive system and /or lungsLesion of the spinal cord Grade IV >75% Amputation of three extremitiesTotal loss of vision and/or auditory capacityTetraplegiaIntellectual incapacity
Interpretation The scale assesses the severity of injuries resulting from cluster munitions based on functional impairment. Due to the polytraumatic nature of the injuries and the damage to multiple systems in the body, the scale stratifies cohorts by exploring the limitation in activity resulting from the injury. Following a grading system (I-IV): Grade I shows functional impairment of less than 25%, Grade II shows 50%, Grade III shows 75%, and Grade IV demonstrates more than 75% functional impairment. Grading is done after meticulous and conjoint assessment of symptoms and functioning.
History During the 2006 Lebanon War, it was estimated that "Israel rained as many as 4.6 million submunitions [of cluster munitions] across southern Lebanon in at least 962 separate strikes, the vast majority over the final three days of the war when Israel knew a settlement was imminent", almost one million of which remained unexploded. These unexploded ordnances continued to injure and kill civilians after the war ended. Injuries were polytraumatic and often led to disability and significant neuropsychological effects. Research by Jawad Fares and Youssef Fares led to the development of the “Fares Scale of Injuries due to Cluster Munitions” to assess injuries based on functional impairment. The scale helped in classifying the wounds of victims and determining the best possible treatment.
References